Remote Sensing C

[TheGenius]

Yeah, I definitely wanna hear about the test.

I know the kids at Ward Melville who did it are very good at it (1st at States), but they ended up with 50th. I'm sure there's a hilarious story behind that, but I haven't heard it yet.

Well, I'm not sure what you've heard, but there were six stations, with 10 minutes to complete each. Each stations consisted of multiple choice and short answer
questions, some based on images taped on the desks, while others were general without context. If I recall correctly, there were stations on the properties of different materials (i.e. sand and ice), refraction of light through different mediums, image interpretation and matching (What the heck is El Nada?), wakes of ships travelling through water, GRACE (Station 3 I think), and something else that I don't remember.

[The Eviscerator]

I think this was the weirdest Remote Sensing test that I have ever taken. This is my BEST event and I got 35th. The test consisted of what Genius posted above with (I believe) 1 point per multiple choice and 5 points per short answer/math question. IMO, the test was not well written in terms of following the rules sheet. There were few questions on general remote sensing or satellite imagery other than identifying what certain images showed. The bulk of the points were in either really specific things (in depth knowledge of the ABL and GRACE programs--I don't think any other satellites were even mentioned, and GRACE isn't even an imaging satellite) or things that seemed rather irrelevant (there were two questions that were on index of refraction worth a total of 10 points and because neither my partner nor I knew Snell's law (something not required on the rules) we bombed it). I realize this sounds like complaining but in a sense, the math on an RS test should be something you can figure out based on satellite knowledge, not physics B (my partner and I both have only taken physC) formulas. Furthermore, with some stations (like the one about ship wakes) it seemed really hit or miss and not anything about Remote Sensing knowledge (we were labeling waves and calculating ship velocities).
Looking at the placings for the event, I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only that felt shafted by this test (I have studied very hard for this event for 3 years and got 8th last time I was at nationals (2011)), seeing as many of the teams that usually do well (e.g., Harriton has won this event many times) did subpar as well. Compounding on what gneissisnice said, the bulk of the points on this test were not based around RS knowledge, but some somewhat irrelevant pieces of knowledge that some teams may just get lucky and have.

Unfortunately this could be the last year for Remote Sensing (replaced by Geologic Mapping) as well as for me (graduating), so these complaints may not really be worth anything.

[gneissisnice]

I think this was the weirdest Remote Sensing test that I have ever taken. This is my BEST event and I got 35th. The test consisted of what Genius posted above with (I believe) 1 point per multiple choice and 5 points per short answer/math question. IMO, the test was not well written in terms of following the rules sheet. There were few questions on general remote sensing or satellite imagery other than identifying what certain images showed. The bulk of the points were in either really specific things (in depth knowledge of the ABL and GRACE programs--I don't think any other satellites were even mentioned, and GRACE isn't even an imaging satellite) or things that seemed rather irrelevant (there were two questions that were on index of refraction worth a total of 10 points and because neither my partner nor I knew Snell's law (something not required on the rules) we bombed it). I realize this sounds like complaining but in a sense, the math on an RS test should be something you can figure out based on satellite knowledge, not physics B (my partner and I both have only taken physC) formulas. Furthermore, with some stations (like the one about ship wakes) it seemed really hit or miss and not anything about Remote Sensing knowledge (we were labeling waves and calculating ship velocities).
Looking at the placings for the event, I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only that felt shafted by this test (I have studied very hard for this event for 3 years and got 8th last time I was at nationals (2011)), seeing as many of the teams that usually do well (e.g., Harriton has won this event many times) did subpar as well. Compounding on what gneissisnice said, the bulk of the points on this test were not based around RS knowledge, but some somewhat irrelevant pieces of knowledge that some teams may just get lucky and have.

Unfortunately this could be the last year for Remote Sensing (replaced by Geologic Mapping) as well as for me (graduating), so these complaints may not really be worth anything.

That sounds way more difficult than when I took it back in 2006. The Nationals event then was only like 35 questions, and ENTIRELY about satellites. My partner and I had split the topics; he covered satellites and I covered the environment impact. He did most of the event by himself because it was all his area and none of mine, I helped with a couple of questions and did the tiebreaker. We still got 3rd somehow, even though we guessed on a lot. We just happened to have some awesome notesheets that had most of the satellite questions.

Remote's always been a hit or miss event, in my opinion. And I'm surprised to see Snell's Law on the event, that doesn't sound like it belongs there.

[bwilby]

I agree with everything that has been said. It was a different supervisor than usual, and quite a disappointing test.

[reesabp]

If you prepared for a RS test like everyone in the past, that test was sooooo off-base. It did not accurately reflect the rules. Fozendog and I were talking about how it was basically a Dynamic Planet Test + Water Quality + a hint of Satellites (the GRACE questions).

[reesabp]

Oh...and El Nada does not even exist.

[bwilby]

Yeah, I definitely wanna hear about the test.

I know the kids at Ward Melville who did it are very good at it (1st at States), but they ended up with 50th. I'm sure there's a hilarious story behind that, but I haven't heard it yet.

Well, I'm not sure what you've heard, but there were six stations, with 10 minutes to complete each. Each stations consisted of multiple choice and short answer
questions, some based on images taped on the desks, while others were general without context. If I recall correctly, there were stations on the properties of different materials (i.e. sand and ice), refraction of light through different mediums, image interpretation and matching (What the heck is El Nada?), wakes of ships travelling through water, GRACE (Station 3 I think), and something else that I don't remember.

Yeah, there was a station with about 20 images taped to the desk, and there were about 35 options to choose from to describe the picture.
The waves station was a joke.
There was also a secchi disk on there.

[bwilby]

If you prepared for a RS test like everyone in the past, that test was sooooo off-base. It did not accurately reflect the rules. Fozendog and I were talking about how it was basically a Dynamic Planet Test + Water Quality + a hint of Satellites (the GRACE questions).

That's exactly what it was like! But not even to the point where you could apply very much information from those events remote style.
My partner and I prepared as well as the remote team from my school before us, and they got first place for the past two years while we got 26th with this test.

[The Eviscerator]

If you prepared for a RS test like everyone in the past, that test was sooooo off-base. It did not accurately reflect the rules. Fozendog and I were talking about how it was basically a Dynamic Planet Test + Water Quality + a hint of Satellites (the GRACE questions).

That's exactly what it was like! But not even to the point where you could apply very much information from those events remote style.
My partner and I prepared as well as the remote team from my school before us, and they got first place for the past two years while we got 26th with this test.

Pretty much. This was the first Remote Sensing test I have ever seen (and I have seen A LOT) that did not even mention Landsat or the A-Train. I could have thrown all of my note sheets and time spent studying out the window, and I would've done the same. It was simply NOT a Remote Sensing test. It seemed more like a unbalanced hodge podge of Earth Science and Physics with topics that either you knew, not because of having studied for Remote Sensing, or didn't.

[reesabp]

Exactly. I feel as though this should be brought up to someone...idk who though...what do you all think?