1. Circuit Lab*
2. Don't Bug Me*
3. Ecology*
4. Food Science*
* These are Trial Events
CIRCUIT LAB Division C
DESCRIPTION: Students will be presented with electrical
data in a circuit and asked to predict current, voltage,
and power consumption; use a voltmeter and an ammeter to
measure voltage and current; and also analyze and draw a
circuit diagram.
A TEAM OF UP TO: 2 APPROXIMATE TIME: 50 minutes
THE COMPETITION:
Students will be presented with three (3) exercises that
they have approximately 15 minutes each to complete. Students
may use a calculator (programmable or non-programmable).
Students should also know the resistor color code, how to
use small electrical breadboards and a multimeter.
SCORING:
The scores from the 3 exercises will be added to obtain
the total score. The highest total score is the winner.
Ties will be broken based on the shortest total time in
exercises 1 and 2.
Example Exercise 1:
Students will be presented with a circuit diagram. The team
will be required to analyze the circuit from the diagram
and predict the requested voltages, currents, and power
indicated on the diagram. A worksheet will be provided to
the team that will show the circuit diagram and provide
for recording of predictions. The worksheet will be returned
to the scorekeeper after the exercise is done. Scoring will
be based on the correctness of the predicted voltages, currents,
power and the time required to complete the exercise.
Example Exercise 2:
Students will be presented with a working circuit consisting
of power supplies or batteries connected to a resistor network
and a multimeter or voltmeter. The students will be asked
to identify on a schematic drawing the direction of current
flow in various parts of the resistor network by using arrows.
Students may be asked to use either conventional and/or
electron current in the exercise (to be determined by judge).
Also, students may be asked to indicate the direction of
the potential difference (+ to - or - to +) between various
locations within the circuit. A worksheet will be provided
to the team for completing the problem. The worksheet will
be returned to the scorekeeper after the exercise is done.
Scoring will be based on the correctness of the responses
and the time required to complete the exercise.
Example Exercise 3:
Students will be given a diagram of series and parallel
circuits. The team will be given the resistors, a breadboard,
connecting wire, and a power supply and be asked to build
the circuit. The student will connect voltmeter(s) and ammeter(s)
to determine the potential difference and current at specified
points in the circuit. The judges will apply power to the
circuit. Scoring will be based on the correctness of their
wired circuit, proper connection of meter, and correct reading
of the meters.
DON'T BUG ME Division B and C
DESCRIPTION:
In this event, students will be asked to identify insects
and selected immature specimens as to their order (Div.B&C)
and family (C only). Students should be able to use an insect
identification resource.
Insect specimens (nymph or larva for selected orders and
families) will be exhibited so that students will be able
to see pertinent features with the unaided eye, a hand lens
or a dissecting microscope. Specimens will be used from
any of the 26 common orders and families of insects as listed
below and on the next page:
Protura (proturans) Phasmatadea (walking sticks)
Coleoptera (beetles) Thysanura (silverfish)
Collembola (springtails) Heteroptera (true bugs)
Mecoptera (scorpionflies) Emphemeroptera (mayflies)
Mallophaga (chewing lice) Trichoptera (caddisflies)
Odonata (dragonflies, damselflies) Anoplura (sucking lice)
Lepidoptera (butterflies, moths) Plecoptera (stoneflies)
Thysanoptera (thrips) Diptera (flies)
Orthoptera (crickets, grasshoppers, katydids) Siphonaptera
(fleas)
Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids)
Homoptera (aphids, cicadas, hoppers) Hymenoptera (ants,
bees, wasps)
Neuroptera (dobsonflies, lacewings, antlions) Dermaptera
(earwigs)
Diplura (diplurans) Blattodea (cockroaches)
In addition to identification, students should become familiar
with insects that are beneficial to mankind and those that
are considered harmful either to agriculture or man's health.
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 2 APPROXIMATE TIME: 45 minutes
THE COMPETITION:
1. Each team will be given an answer sheet on which they
will record answers. Students may bring and use resources
for identification (printed or photocopied with illustrations
and diagrams). Battery handheld computers may be used.
2. Approximately 35 specimens will be lettered or numbered
for identification. The contestants will record on the answer
sheet
ECOLOGY Division C
DESCRIPTION: Students will answer questions involving
content knowledge and process skills in the area of ecology
and adaptation. The rules of the Ecology Event state the
focus of twenty% of the
questions will be posted and this year they are ocean shorelines/tidal
pools and freshwater streams.
A TEAM OF UP TO: 2 APPROXIMATE TIME: 45 Minutes
EVENT PARAMETERS: Students may bring a non-programmable
calculator. No other reference material will be allowed.
Suggested resources:
THE COMPETITION:
Event will emphasize these process skills as they apply
to ecology: defining variables; analyzing data from graphs
and tables; presenting data in graphs and tables; forming
hypotheses; making calculations and predictions.
Emphasis will be placed on applying the following ecological
principles: Energy flow and food webs (producers, primary,
secondary and tertiary consumers, and decomposers); adaptation
to and limiting factors of an ecosystem; predator-prey relationships;
factors affecting population size (climate, resources, competition,
etc); human impact upon ecosystems; life history strategies
(age of reproduction, survival curves, seed dispersal);
extinction. For C, the above topics plus selection and migration.
1. The competition will consist of a series of questions
related to concepts/skills from the above lists. Stations
may be used. If stations are used, students must spend the
same amount of time at each station.
2. Approximately 20% of the questions should deal with
___________ (ecosystem 1) and _______ (ecosystem 2). {Ecosystems
to be chosen from the following list and rotated on a yearly
basis: tundra, taiga, forests of all kinds including rain
forests, grasslands, deserts, freshwater lakes and streams,
ocean shorelines/tidal pools, open oceans, thermal ocean
vents (C only). Italics: not in rules that are published;
only for national reference}
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. Given a list of organisms and what each organism eats,
construct a food web. Identify each organism as producer,
consumer, or decomposer as appropriate
2. Students are given a graph of predators and prey as
a function of time. Calculate the number of prey necessary
to sustain a single predator.
3. Provide three reasons why a grassland is easier to sustain
over a number of years than a suburban lawn.
4. Compare the tundra with a tropical rain forest. What
kinds of adaptations may be common in both environments.
How are the organisms in each environment adapted for the
rates of nutrient recycling that you would expect to find?
5. Students are given data on temperature and rainfall
for two different areas. They are asked to predict the kinds
of organisms that will be present in each area.
6. Students are given information about the physical traits
and life history of a fictitious organism. They are then
asked in what kind of environment it might be expected to
live.
7. Why are the seeds of some plants able to pass, unharmed,
through the digestive system of an animal?
SCORING: Questions will be assigned point values.
Students will be ranked from highest to lowest score. Ties
will be broken by pre-determined tiebreaker questions.
FOOD SCIENCE Division B and C
Although this is a walk-in event students must come in
at the start of the hour.
DESCRIPTION:
Students will be asked questions pertaining to food chemistry,
food microbiology, processing and nutrition. The students
will use their knowledge of these areas to complete one
or more laboratory experiments. Students must be prepared
to use strong acids and bases and deal with non-pathogenic
bacteria. Themes to the Food Science event will be assigned
each year and may consist of the following: Carbohydrates,
Fats, Proteins, and Concentrations and for Division B Microbiology
will also be included. The laboratories and the quiz questions
will pertain to that years' theme. Once the theme for the
year is selected specific details will be available on the
National web page.
SAFETY REQUIREMENTS:
Students must bring and wear aprons or lab coats that cover
the knee, pants or skirts that cover the legs to the ankles,
closed-toed shoes and OSHA approved chemical splash goggles
with indirect vents or they will not be allowed to participate
and counted as a no-show. Tasting or touching the chemicals
will result in disqualification. Gloves are optional. Students
who unsafely remove their safety clothing/glasses will be
disqualified from the event. Anyone observed handling any
of the material or equipment in a hazardous manner will
be disqualified. None of the solids may be flushed down
the drain. All solids should be rinsed into a designated
waste container provided by the supervisor.
EVENT PARAMETERS:
Calculators (non-graphing only) and pencils must be supplied
by the students. All other necessary materials will be supplied
by the event supervisors. Absolutely no reference materials
or scientific instruments will be admitted. Any team that
does not have the required materials will not be admitted.
A TEAM OF: up to 2 APPROXIMATE TIME: 50 minutes
THE COMPETITION:
Food Science is the sum of the general sciences including
physics, biology, and chemistry. Combining all of these
sciences and relating them to food brings about many different
areas and topics. Food is composed of carbohydrates, lipids,
proteins, and macro/micro-molecules. Participants may be
expected to complete tasks including but not limited to
the following: drawing or identifying structures, performing
calculations, explaining chemical behaviors, performing
and interpreting microbiological sampling, and performing
qualitative/quantitative analysis of foods. The competition
will consist of a series of stations. At each station, the
student may be asked to perform a laboratory task and/or
answer written questions about the topic.
SCORING:
Points will be awarded for correct answers and/or proper
techniques. Cleanup should occur after all materials have
been returned or a penalty may be given. All measurements
and calculations must be recorded in the correct significant
figures and units. All ties will be broken by selected questions
chosen by the supervisors. These questions will not be identified
to the students.
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Div
C Trial Events