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Life, Personal, and Social Science

  • Anatomy and Physiology: Students learn about the human integumentary, skeletal, and muscular systems

  • Disease Detectives: Students use investigative skills to scientifically study diseases, injuries, and health in populations or groups of people

  • Heredity: Participants solve problems and analyze data using their knowledge of basic principles of genetics

  • Ornithology: Students are assessed on their knowledge of North American Birds

  • Water Quality: Participants are assessed on their understanding of marine and estuary aquatic environments

Earth and Space Science

  • Dynamic Planet: Teams compete in tasks related to physical and geological oceanography

  • Fossils: Teams identify and classify fossils and demonstrate their knowledge of ancient life

  • Meteorology: Teams display their understanding of meteorological principles dealing with severe weather

  • Reach for the Stars: Teams demonstrate an understanding of the properties and evolution of stars and galaxies

  • Road Scholar: Participants answer interpretive questions using state highway maps, topographic maps, and other types of images

Physical Science and Chemistry

  • Circuit Lab: Participants complete tasks and answer questions about electricity and magnetism

  • Crime Busters: Teams collect evidence and run a series of test to solve a crime

  • Density Lab: Participants compete and answer questions about mass, density, concentration, pressure, and buoyancy

  • Food Science: Participants answer questions on food chemistry, with a focus on fermentation and pickling

  • Machines: Teams compete a written test on simple machines, and construct a lever based measuring device prior to the tournament

Technology and Engineering

  • Boomilever: Teams design and construct a Boomilever meeting specified requirements to achieve the highest structural efficiency

  • Elastic Launched Gliders: Prior to the tournament teams design, construct and test elastic-launched gliders to achieve maximum time aloft

  • Mission Possible: Prior to the competition teams design, construct and test a Rube Goldberg type device

  • Mousetrap Vehicle: Teams design and construct a vehicle powered by a mousetrap that reaches a target as quickly as possible

Inquiry and Nature of Science

  • Experimental Design: Tests the participant's ability to design, conduct, and report the findings of an experiment conducted on site

  • Game On: Teams design and build an original computer game using Scratch that incorporates a scientific theme

  • Ping-Pong Parachute: Prior to the competition teams design and build bottle rockets to launch a ping pong ball attached to a parachute

  • Write It, Do It: One participant describes and object, the other participant attempts to build the object using the written description