Scientific innovations continually provide us with new means of analyzing the finds. Richard Leakey What can we say, fossils are just cool. Paleontology, the study of fossils, mixes history, geology, physics, and treasure hunting into one fascinating subject that sparks the dreams of many including gold medalist Bryony Page from Great Britain. Listen to a…
All posts by Jennifer
Yellowstone: Biscuit Basin’s Hydrothermal Explosion
The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark. John Muir On July 23, 2024 a hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone sent tourists running. Luckily no one was injured. As far as explosions go, it was relatively mild for the area. In fact, hydrothermal…
Binder Events
Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant. Mitch Kapor Every year, Science Olympiad has a few events that allow the student to bring in a binder full of information for their test. Sometimes they can also bring a field identification guide. Sometimes they can even bring their computer.…
Ecology
It’s the little things citizens do. That’s what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees. Wangarī Maathai A Science Olympiad Event for 2025 The rules for the 2025 season have not come out yet but we can begin to prepare for this event now by looking into this year’s topic: North American…
Chandra
This past week I was listening to the news when I heard a story that made me pause whatever it was that I was doing and listen more closely. NPR was reporting that NASA is considering retiring an X-ray telescope, one that I am familiar with thanks to my daughter’s love of the Reach for…
White Powder
Qualitative Chemical Analysis How do scientists know what a sample is when they see a pile of white powder? Is it something common like flour or sugar? Or is it something dangerous? Through the understanding of the chemical makeup of substances and careful testing, scientists can tell the differences between things that look, at least…
Earth and Space Science Events of 2025
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Carl Sagan Dynamic Planet looks at the geography of the earth and rotates the region of focus each year. It is possible that next year will be a focus on the earth’s crust. Fossils is an identification event. The list can have some…
Technology and Engineering Design Events of 2025
We will always have STEM with us. Some things will drop out of the public eye and will go away, but there will always be science, engineering, and technology. And there will always, always be mathematics. Katherine Johnson *Helicopter Is this year’s balsa wood flight build event. Students will build a rubber band powered helicopter.…
Inquiry and Nature of Science Events of 2025
I believe that at the end of the century the use of words and general educated opinion will have altered so much that one will be able to speak of machines thinking without expecting to be contradicted. Alan Turing Codebusters This event focuses on encryption and decryption of codes. This event can be practiced easily…
Physical Science and Chemistry Events of 2025
I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy. Marie Curie These events are anchored in physics and chemistry and how they are used today. Whether it is analyzing forensic evidence or optimizing the efficiency of wind turbines, these events will have teams diving deep and learning skills that will follow…