SOSI 2016: AMA (Ask Me Anything at the Summer Institute)

[SOPomo]

Hey students/coaches,

I'm one of the lucky coaches being sent to the SOSI this year by my district. If you have any pressing questions about an event in particular or in general, as well as any clarifications, suggestions, or whatever, I can see if I can get an answer for you during those sessions. While I'm not able to post or share any of the materials (including draft rules), this is about the time each year where specifics about the events come out, so if you have questions, feel free to ask me here or in a PM. I'll see what I can do to help you out (within parameters of SOSI rules/expectations of participants, of course).

Current schedule looks like this, so don't expect any real specific answers until the day we cover each event:

Monday: Towers
Tuesday: Optics, Hovercraft, Invasives, Rocks and Minerals, Wright Stuff, Fast Facts, Experimental Design
Wednesday: Bottle Rocket, Mission Possible, Ecology, Write It Do It, Wind Power, Food Science, Crime Busters
Thursday: Microbe Mission, Road Scholar, Scrambler, Meteorology, Reach for the Stars
Friday: Anatomy, Disease Detectives, Dynamic Planet

If nobody has any questions, no worries, but the offer is here.

On my way to the airport now, for a week worth of 105+ degree temperatures in Phoenix. Good thing its all in an AC'd conference hall. SO 2017 starts now!

[RJohnson]

I don't know if these are questions that you could answer but here goes nothing:

Towers: Is the scoring going to be the tradition Mass Held/Mass of Structure or is there any preferential scoring as there has been in the past for towers?

Helicopters/Wright Stuff: Are both going to continue to be rubber-band powered or is one (or both) going to be electric?

Electric Vehicle: Although not on the list, is there an additional challenge that would add (or subtract) bonus points?

Hovercraft: Are ICs and therefore brushless motors still off the table?

I'm not sure what you're allowed to disclose, but at any rate, thank you!

[SOPomo]

I didn't put DivC on the list because I'll be going to the B ones when there's a choice, but I'll see about EV/helicopters if I can.

[superpenguin666]

Could you answer this question during the SOSI:
Ecology: What are the specific biomes for 2016-2017?

Thanks!

[SPP SciO]

I don't know if these are questions that you could answer but here goes nothing:

Towers: Is the scoring going to be the tradition Mass Held/Mass of Structure or is there any preferential scoring as there has been in the past for towers?

Helicopters/Wright Stuff: Are both going to continue to be rubber-band powered or is one (or both) going to be electric?

Electric Vehicle: Although not on the list, is there an additional challenge that would add (or subtract) bonus points?

Hovercraft: Are ICs and therefore brushless motors still off the table?

I'm not sure what you're allowed to disclose, but at any rate, thank you!

All of these! For any of the engineering events, "what's the twist?" For example, bottle rocket, does it carry an egg, what are restrictions on recovery systems, etc. Scrambler - is there some major new requirement, or system for bonus points? I'd love to publish some "2017 gossip" on our team website, and have my students start September with a head full of ideas.

[kenniky]

If you can:

Chemistry Lab: will they still have that pollution/greenhouse gas part in the rules?

[SOPomo]

I'm digesting all the rules now, but give me a sec to talk with the higher-ups at dinner to see what they will allow disclosed. I e-mailed with chalker briefly and they said this is usually when these rules get "released into the wild" so to speak so these questions are all probably fine to answer.

[Unome]

Fast Facts: I've been working off the assumption that it can be comfortably run in thirty minute timeslots, but the trial rules say 50 minutes, even though the event runs on up to five rounds of five minutes each.

[SOPomo]

Seems to be okay to answer specific questions such as these, I mean, nobody is asking for copies of the rules or anything. Just keep in mind that these are still considered draft rules that could change, official rules September when you register.

Okay so with the preface that THESE ARE STILL DRAFT RULES, SUBJECT TO CHANGE:

Towers: Is the scoring going to be the tradition Mass Held/Mass of Structure or is there any preferential scoring as there has been in the past for towers?

Helicopters/Wright Stuff: Are both going to continue to be rubber-band powered or is one (or both) going to be electric?

Electric Vehicle: Although not on the list, is there an additional challenge that would add (or subtract) bonus points?

Hovercraft: Are ICs and therefore brushless motors still off the table?

Again, DRAFT RULES SUBJECT TO CHANGE:

Towers: Scoring is (Mass Held + Bonus) / Mass of tower. The bonus this year is, instead of a 20x20cm base, your tower exceeds a 29cm diameter circle, and is worth 2000g bonus.

Helicopters / Wright Stuff: both rubber motors

Electric Vehicle: The bonus this year is subtracting "0.2 x Distance between cans in cm (to nearest 0.1cm)"

Hovercraft: yeah, those are still off the table

Ecology: What are the specific biomes for 2016-2017?

Currently Tundra, Taiga, Deciduous Forests

All of these! For any of the engineering events, "what's the twist?" For example, bottle rocket, does it carry an egg, what are restrictions on recovery systems, etc. Scrambler - is there some major new requirement, or system for bonus points? I'd love to publish some "2017 gossip" on our team website, and have my students start September with a head full of ideas.

Bottle Rocket: 1 liter bottles or less instead of 2-liter, with an egg surviving the fall. A 1-liter bottle cap replaces a chap stick lid as the blunt nose tester.

Scrambler: A 5-gallon bucket will be at the midpoint of the course for the vehicle to go around.

Fast Facts: I've been working off the assumption that it can be comfortably run in thirty minute timeslots, but the trial rules say 50 minutes, even though the event runs on up to five rounds of five minutes each.

Rules currently say 3 rounds, 6 minutes a round. So looks like you could conceivably do it in 30 minute timeslots.

[varunscs11]

For rocks and minerals, are they adding any new specimens (at least those different from the 2014 list like kyanite or vermiculite)
For invasive species are they changing anything?


Thanks a ton