Indiana Science Olympiad

[E Edgar]

I just found out that in Indiana, all B teams can bring binders. This is on the Indiana Sc.Olypd. website.Why isn't this happening in PA. It would really help for ornithology and other events. You Indiana People are so lucky.

Well, it's a double-edged sword. It makes people less prepared for nationals where a binder isn't allowed and it leads to confusion at competitions when people who haven't read the rules complain.

[cassie_alderink]

[quote="Uncle Fester"]And Uncle Fester too. [/quote]
um.how bout not. you didnt even compete. you are in charge
of JYC......and do a nice job as well. HA

[sciolyandmathcounts]

Binders are only really necessary for Ornithology and Fossils. Other than that, it's kind of unfair.

[E Edgar]

Binders are only really necessary for Ornithology and Fossils. Other than that, it's kind of unfair.

Don't forget Astronomy...

[peoneill]

Wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy back in the day they had to compete in Amphibians and Reptiles and Rocks and Minerals (very similar to Ornithology/Fossils) without ANY resources. I think that was cooler. My friend Muchu who is a PhD student in animal behavior/ecology now give give seemingly hundreds of details on EVERY species (he was 1st in state both years it was an event and won a medal at nationals). I think they did get a binder for Rocks and Minerals starting my junior year maybe... We always used to get a binder for ROAD SCHOLAR - which was the dumbest thing ever. My partner and I would just go in without any notes and we won state a couple of times. I mean, I don't even know what on Earth people HAD in those binders, you know? We saw teams with binders. Some of the other strong teams had TONS of resources (it was totally unlimited). I'm glad they dumped that event from C div even if it was one of my own.

[E Edgar]

I think it might be worthwhile to limit resources in Herpetology. However, I would not like to go into a rocks and minerals competition without a binder. There are a huge number of things (locations were samples can be found, uses of each rock/mineral, crystal structures, relative hardness,...) that would be horrible (and a pointless waste of time) to memorize.

[sciolyandmathcounts]

I feel sorry for the pair on Microbe Mission. They updated the state rules saying you could have a binder the day before the competition at 7:00. Since our school is far away from Bloomington, we didn't know until we were already there.

[dickyjones]

I was a supervisor for Microbe Mission. There was no where in the state rules or clarifications that said you could bring a binder or a reference sheet (unless I missed something).

In fact the state website says:

Question: Are binders allowed for the trial events?
Answer: No, the only trial that allows reference materials of any kind is Protein Modeling. We will adhere to the official rules for Protein Modeling and only allow ten double-sided, 8.5”x11” pages of materials.

The teams that brought either were not allowed to use them. I believe teams following the national rules were the ones who were confused.

And of binders being allowed, I think it's a far more fulfilling experience than filling out a piece of paper. And the skills gained are worthwhile even to individuals who won't pursue science after high school. However, I think the rules for "Entomology" and maybe Fossils now were the best. A 1" binder that fit in a 1.5" thick box was allowed, and I can tell you that it definitely made you think more about organization and what to use the space for. As in these events, the most time-consuming portion is doing tons of research online and in libraries; I see no reason why you shouldn't be allowed to bring that information with you. However, in events that are mainly answer questions applying a few concepts (Chem Lab, Enviro Chem, Ecology, Circuit Lab, Cell Bio, Disease...), I see no reason that even one sheet of paper should be allowed (or how it would even help if the test is written right). I am fine with events like Astronomy getting all the resources they want since they involve both a great number of research as well as tons of application and calculation. But that's just my opinion.

[E Edgar]

Two things.

First of all, it's only a few short weeks until nationals. Good luck to every team that has qualified (BHSS, BHSN, TJ, WWMS) and let's try to get as many Indiana schools in the top ten as possible.

Second, I've noticed that many of the more competitive states have their state competitions much later than the Indiana one. I wonder if a later state tournament date helps those teams that go to nationals to carry their momentum from state over to the national tournament. It might also give teams more time to improve from regionals. What do you guys think?

[sciolyandmathcounts]

I like the early state tournament because it gives plenty of time for nats preparation