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Life, Personal, and Social Science

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

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

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

  • 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

  • Astronomy: Teams demonstrate an understanding of the properties and evolution of stars and galaxies

  • 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

  • Geologic Mapping: Teams display their understanding of topographic maps, geologic maps and cross sections of past environments

Physical Science and Chemistry

  • Chem Lab: Teams answer questions involving aqueous solutions and acids and bases

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

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

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

  • Protein Modeling: Teams construct a physical model of the CRISPR Cas9 and answer questions involving its uses

  • Sounds of Music: Teams construct and tune a musical device and answer sound related questions

Technology and Engineering

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

  • Detector Building: Teams build a temperature sensing device to accurately measure and display temperatures of water samples

  • Gravity Vehicle: Teams design and build a vehicle and ramp that uses gravitational energy to power a vehicle to its target

  • Wright Stuff: Teams design and construct free flight rubber powered planes to achieve maximum time aloft

Inquiry and Nature of Science

  • Codebusters: Teams cryptanalyze and decode encrypted messages using cryptanalysis techniques for various ciphers

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

  • 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