The coaches meeting allows you to see the facilities, to sign up for certain events (mission possible, bridge building, and sounds of music), to swap event times, and to ask questions about how we will interpret the nebulous rules. Many of the device coordinators may be present as well. We will provide lunch, and we should finish before 2:00 pm. If you have event specific questions, pleasse submit these questions to me ahead of time so I can contact the appropriate event supervisor.

II. Registration

Registration for the tournament will be from 7:47 to 8:49:73.84 am in W2015 of the Science Building on Saturday, 25 March 2006.  Scheduled events will begin promptly at 9:00 am.

III. Food Services
Campus food services will be open from 11:00-1:30.  They will be providing limited services but you will be able to order, if desired, personal pizza ahead of time. These pizzas should be ready for pick up anytime duing the operating hours . You will receive a form for ordering pizzas via email. There are also major pizza and sub chains within 1.5 miles of campus.

IV. Base camps
We will provide base camps for all schools and also a room for coaches in which scores will be posted. If you are nice between now and the March 25, we will even have coffee and soft drinks available in this room as well.(Definition of nice: only 1.38 questions/week, but the questions should be intelligent. Questions such as what does "all" or "either" mean? are considered UNINTELLIGENT . Also, the question that will be in your mind about 8 March of  "Please tell me again why I am involved in Science Olympiad" is also considered unintelligent and has already been asked by at least five other coaches in the last 3.28 hours.

Base camps will be in Allgood Halls (see campus map from Olympiad web page). Campus custodial services do not begin their day until 8:00 am, but we do have many 7:00 am classes. Please bring trash bags for your room so it can be cleaned before you leave. Numerous dumpsters and also recycle bins will be available near base camps. We will not present awards to teams who have not cleaned their base camps..

Please note: NO FOOD OR BEVERAGES OF ANY KIND are allowed in the classrooms of Allgood Hall.  All food must be placed outside the rooms or in the atrium.
 

IV. Team numbers and ID badges

Teams will randomly be assigned a number upon receipt of intent to compete. Coaches will receive this number within 17.398 hours, and usually sooner, of notifying the director of intent to compete.

All  team members and the head coach must wear the ID badge that will be provided. This badge will indicate the ONLY person who may question the event supervisors.  Please caution parents about becoming overzealous and over involved. I will not hesitate to disqualify the entire school if poor behavior is exhibited by parents, coaches or students.

V. Questions
Answers to posed questions will be sent to all coaches and also posted to olympiad web page. Other useful information such as schedules, maps, directions, etc can also be found on this page. Since e-mail is sometimes not delivered,  and sometimes not read, each e-mail message will ask for confirmation of receipt.

VI. T-shirts

We will provide T-shirts for up to 15 members and 2 coaches. Additional T-shirts may be ordered for $10.00 each (checks payable to Augusta State University), and a limited number of shirts will be available on the date of the tourney, also for $10.00 Please return the shirt order  by noon on Wednesday, 8 March, 2006. If T-shirt sizes are not received, the default size will be large.

VII. Motels
Blocks of room have been reserved under “Science Olympiad” at area motels. These motels, with 2 double beds, are about 3-4 miles from campus, provide complimentary breakfast, and are located on one of Augusta’s roads that contains a plethora of food establishments. ROOMS ARE ONLY BEING HELD UNTIL 4 PM FRIDAY, 10 MARCH, 2006. Please make your reservations before this time.

SPECIFIC EVENTS

1. Bridge Building and Bottle Rockets will not require a log book.

2. Wheeled Vehicle and Storm Castle: these are the only events that will have an impound.

3. Aquifers: note that all devices will be built at one time, after the 20 minutes of questions. Only certain topics will be tested for the device, but all topics listed in rules may be dealt with during the questions. For specific topics that may be incorprated into the device see Ga Specific Rules (http://www.aug.edu/gaso/gasogarules.html)

3. 4. Can’t judge powder/ food science: solutions of NaOH and HCl will be 1.0 M, as specified in national rules.

5. Mission possible:
a. Questions of machines, etc. should be directed to event supervisor,  Tom Lavin (mailto:rubegmachines@yahoo.com)
b. The final  machine list (separate email)  must be typed and faxed to me ((706) 667-4098) before Thursday, 23 March 2006 by 5:00 pm. Penalties for late lists will be as follows:
   1)  30 POINTS if received between 5 pm Thursday and noon Friday
   2)  ADDITIONAL 30 points if received between noon Friday and 4:30 pm Friday
   3)RANKING BELOW ALL TEAMS WHO MEET DEADLINE PLUS ABOVE TWO PENALTIES if received at start of event
c. I recognize that mp devices are often built, completed, or modified en route on Saturday. We will allow one deviation from list without penalty; additional departures will be penalized 15 points per departure However, you must come on Saturday with a modified machine list.
d. Remember  that each machine must be numbered. Make sure the device is of the correct dimensions. Devices that are too large will be ranked below all that are of correct size.
e. No adults will be allowed in the mp room. All devices will be filmed and displayed on a TV in the adjacent room. The video of all mp devices, as well as highlights of other events will be available three weeks after the competition. Cost will be $10.00 (includes video and shipping); make checks payable to Augusta State University.
f. The time indicated on the sign up sheet is the time that the device will be tested. Students should arrive prior to this time to set up the device. Each room will accomodate only 6 devices at one time.

6. Balloon Race:

The ceiling height will be 10 feet. Launch will be with paper clip touchng the floor.We will try, but do not guarantee, to block the HVAC vents. We will try to have minimum overhead light(vote now: if you would prefer candle light (may add to room temp), LED flashlights, or camping lantern) At any rate the room has windows so lights willnot be turned on. The windows face west, so there should not be any added heat from the sun to deal with. (Ice buckets will be available at the door for team members to cool their bodies before entering. Event supervisors have agreed to wear special insulated clothing so their body heat will not be a factor.)Before and after each session, we will use a high powered fan to reciruclate air so that each group has an approximate same temperature gradient. Doors will be monitored and no one will be allowed in or out during the flights. It is possible that we may use >1, up to 4.387 ballons, for lifting mass.

7. Labeling of devices

All devices must be clearly labeled with the school name. In the past, people also attached crisp one hundred dollar bills to the devices to insure that the device was judged appropriately (and of course, fairly). This year the event supervisors have requested something less obvious; offers of trips, hotel stays, free gasoline or auto repairs, etc will be the only vehicles for bribes. Money can be used, but only as a supplement to trips, and these bills should be given directly to the state director, who will see that the appopriate individual receives it, but only after contributing to the Send Bill To Aruba fund.

8.   Awards:  award ceremony will begin as close to 3:29:38 pm. as possible  in the Christenberry Atheltic Complex  which is located on Wrightsboro Rd, about 2 miles from the main campus.  Maps will be available at coaches meeting and at registration. All awards are not considered final until 72 hours after the start of the award ceremony. The ceremony will be over by 4:30 pm The returning of tests is up to my event supervisors. We will provide you with the ones that they have ok'd for return (most of the folks will do this)

9. Multiple courses/evaluations: Please note in the schedule that many events will be run simultaneously with concurrent courses and evaluators. Every effort has been made to insure that the multiple coordinators are on the same page. We have met on numerous occasions as we have planned the event.

10. Sounds of music: the event coordinators have requested that one team only be done at the first time slot so that they can insure that they are all evaluating equally. Details about this item will be handled at coaches meeting.

11. Evaluations: Please remind your parents, students, and coaches to fill out the national event evaluation form on line.

Bill Wellnitz, Ph. D.
tournament and Georgia State Olympiad director.
wwellnit@aug.edu
(706) 731-7993 (office, with voicemail)
(706) 737-1539 (Biology Dept. office)
(706) 667-4098 (fax)
(706) 737-1401 (ASU Public Safety who can always contact me during day of tournament)
last modified: 20 Februaryr, 2006