Communqiue 5
April 18, 2023
Final Scores
The final scores for the 2023 Southern California State Science Olympiad:
- Division B
- Division C
The Div B scores did not have any changes. In Division C, Forensics C and WiFi Lab C
scores are updated due to the input errors.
Congratulations to Sierra Vista Middle School and Troy High School, who will be
representing SoCal at the upcoming National Tournament!
Feedback
Please fill out this feedback form
and ask your students to do so as well.
Pictures
Pictures from during the day and the awards ceremony can be viewed and downloaded
here.
Seniors!
Please ask your seniors who are interested in volunteering next year to email
Ryan Wong. They don't have to be attending
Caltech or a local college next year - we can connect them to tournament officials in other
states too.
Certificate of Excellence and Appreciation
The Certificate of Excellence and Appreciation has been emailed to the coaches for their use.
Summer Workshop
We'll be hosting the 9th Annual SoCal Summer Workshop on July 8th, 2023; to register,
please go here.
Thank you again for all that you do for the students and the program, and we look
forward to seeing you at the local tournaments next year!
Communique 2
March 24, 2023
[Urgent] Self-Scheduled Event Sign Up Opens tomorrow
Self-Schedule Event Sign Up opens Friday, March 24th at 5:00 PM. If the head coach of the team has not received the username and password by now, please contact us immediately at esus@socalscioly.org. Self-Scheduled Sign Up will close on Friday, March 31st at 5:00 PM.
Schedule Update:
Please note the following important updates to the schedule:
- Microbe Mission B is now self-scheduled
- Rocks & Minerals B/C moved to Baxter B119
COVID-19 Vaccination/Masking Requirements
Caltech has stated that "visitors/non-Caltech folks do not need proof of vaccination. Folks should wear a N95 mask in classroom settings."
Parent Volunteer Assignments
The parent volunteer assignments are now posted below in the downloads section. Teams must have 1 adult volunteer present for the entire duration listed for the given event. Coaches can either ask 1 parent volunteer to complete it or 2 parent volunteers to split up the 2 hours. Please make sure to let your parent volunteers know when and where they need to be on the day of the event. There are no cards or papers to sign. Parent Volunteers should report directly to the assignment (not check in table), they need to let the event supervisor(s) know which school they're representing and that they're a parent volunteer. If you have any questions regarding your assignment, please let us know.
Caltech Bookstore:
The Caltech Bookstore will be open from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM on the day of the tournament, with exclusive Caltech/Science Olympiad merchandise available for purchase (special discounts for tournament day!). The bookstore will have Science Olympiad sweatshirts, tees, tumblers, water bottles, posters, mugs, and backpacks. It is located in the new Hameetman Center.
Restrooms:
There are restrooms located within each building at Caltech and at the gym at Polytechnic. Many buildings at Caltech also have all-gendered restrooms including Baxter and Gates near the home bases.
Communique 1
March 19, 2023
Congratulations and welcome to the 38th annual Southern California State Science Olympiad hosted on the
campuses of the California Institute of Technology and the Polytechnic School in Pasadena, CA on Saturday,
April 8th, 2023. Below, you will find some important and useful information about the upcoming program. Please
be aware that some of these items are time sensitive and require immediate attention!
Online Registration (Time Sensitive):
The team registration form has been emailed to the head coach of each team. Please fill out the form to register your team by
Thursday, March 23rd at 5pm. This is how we will confirm that you are receiving our emails and updates and are planning to
attend the upcoming program. You can also add the contact information for one co-coach and one team email, so we have more
than one way to contact your team since many of you will be on break. Please note that you do not need to submit the names of
students, alternates, or parent volunteers during registration at this time, so please register ASAP. Only the first submission
will be accepted, so please coordinate with any co-coaches
Spring Break Recess:
We understand that many of you will be on Spring Break in the upcoming weeks. Please note that any updates will be sent
to both your email address and posted online. Please ask your students to check the web page here during their Spring Break,
especially if you will not be able to relay relevant information to the team. You can also add the contact information for one
co-coach and one team email in the online registration form.
Certificate of Liability Coverage (Urgent and Time Sensitive Follow-Up):
The Southern California Science Olympiad, the California Institute of Technology, and the Polytechnic School require that
your school/district provide us with a "Certificate of Liability Insurance" or "Evidence of Coverage" Certificate in order
to attend and participate in the April 8th, 2023 SoCal State Science Olympiad program being held on the campuses of the California
Institute of Technology and the Polytechnic School in Pasadena, CA.
Please request the insurance coverage from your district/school/risk management office for your team's participation in the 2023
State Science Olympiad program.
Insurance Certificate Language: (Certificate of Liability Insurance or Evidence of Coverage Certificate)
Certificate Holder:
Southern California Science Olympiad and their directors, officers, agents, employees and volunteers.
Additional Insured:
The California Institute of Technology, its officers, agents, employees, and volunteers of each of them, the Polytechnic School,
its officers, agents, employees, and volunteers of each of them, and the Southern California Science Olympiad, its officers, agents,
employees, and volunteers of each of them.
If a district has more than one school participating in the upcoming program, one certificate for all the participating schools in
a district can be issued providing all of the participating schools are named in the "Certificate of Liability" or "Evidence of Coverage"
Certificate that is provided. Please contact Peter Hung at peterhung@socalscioly.org if there
are questions.
Once completed, you or your school district must e-mail a pdf copy of the Certificate of Liability to
peterhung@socalscioly.org
A hard copy can also be mailed to:
Southern California Science Olympiad
4321 W. 168th St.
Lawndale, CA 90260
Masking and Vaccination:
Masking and COVID-19 vaccination information will be provided soon.
Schedule and Team Numbers:
An updated preliminary schedule and team numbers have been posted in the download section below.
While we do not expect any major changes to the schedule at this point, we will let you know if there are any updates to the
schedule and send you a pre-final schedule a few days before the tournament. As we update the schedule, the one posted on this web
page will also be updated. A final schedule will be provided on the day of the event for each team.
Please note that there are 2 trial events in each division this year; Cybersecurity C, Write It CAD It B/C rules are in the
rules manual
and Microbe Mission B rules can be found in the download section below. The trial events do not
count toward the team total but medals will be awarded. Any students from your school, including but not limited to the 15 official
members, may participate in these events. These students will not receive or need wristbands but they must fill out all the forms as
required for the 15 member teams as well as be listed on the team roster.
15 Official Team Members Roster Requirement:
Our current practice at the Southern California State Science Olympiad is for the head coach of the team to bring and submit a
final official roster of participating students (15 member team and students participating in the Trial Events) on the day of the
tournament during the morning check-in time. The head coach needs to also submit any of the various release or code of ethics forms
that are required. If there is a change in the composition of the team, this is simply recorded on the roster that you bring on the
day of the event.
Wristbands will be provided for your team members upon check-in. You will receive up to fifteen (15) wristbands, depending on the size
of your team. Please be aware that there is no maximum or minimum number of events that any student must compete in at the State
Tournament. We are aware that teams may employ an organizational system that includes maximum or minimum numbers in order to manage
the team and schedule, but that is not a requirement of the State Science Olympiad program. Please make sure you check the
National
Science Olympiad guidelines on who can be on your 15 member team.
We do not expect schools to substitute team members during the tournament. However, if an emergency should arise and a student on your
team is unable to compete, you should discuss that situation with an Event Coordinator on the day of the event.
No Practicing at Polytechnic or Caltech
Please remind your parents and teams that practicing your devices on Polytechnic Campus and Caltech Campus is strictly prohibited prior
to the tournament. Teams should arrive no earlier than 7 AM on Saturday, the time which we have received a city permit to host this event.
We're grateful that Caltech and Polytechnic are willing to host the State Tournament and that they've committed to sharing their staff
and selected facilities on Saturday, April 8th. Research and classes are still ongoing and it is not acceptable to come onto campus to practice
in the gyms or other facilities. Please do not jeopardize the possibility of having Caltech and Polytechnic host this and other Science Olympiad
events in the future and do not risk your team being penalized. Pictures of each event venue are available by clicking on the location of the
event on the schedule.
Online Sign Up for Self-Scheduled Events:
We will be using the Event Sign Up System (ESUS), for the self-scheduled events sign ups.
Login information will be emailed to the head coaches of each team by 8AM Wednesday, March 22nd. If you do not receive the username and
password by Thursday, March 23rd, please contact us immediately because the self-scheduled event online sign up will open Friday, March 24th
at 5:00PM, and will close on Friday, March 31st at 5:00 PM. You will NOT be able to sign up for these events after it closes. For technical issues, please contact esus@socalscioly.org.
Note: Sounds of Music B: This is a full-hour event. Division B teams should show up at the beginning of the timeblock that they signed up
for. Teams showing up late will not have as much time for the test.
Parent Volunteer Assignments:
Each team must provide about 3.5 people-hours of volunteers on the day of the event. The assignments will not require technical knowledge
of the events and may include: making sure the doors are shut for the flight events, helping with delivering lunches, checking in students,
helping at the registration table, etc. Most assignments can be performed by just 1 adult volunteer for the duration of 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Some assignments require having 3 adult volunteers simultaneously for 1 hour. If you can provide 3 adult volunteers 1 hour simultaneously,
please let us know immediately.
Hosting Campus Location and Parking:
The physical addresses and maps of Caltech and Polytechnic School are listed below:
Caltech: 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125
Polytechnic School: 1030 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91106
Parking is free within Caltech in any of the parking structures:
Wilson Parking Structure: 341 S Wilson Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106
South Wilson Parking Structure: 405 S Wilson Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106
Holliston Parking Structure: 372 S Holliston Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106
California Underground Parking Structure: 1240 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA
Please follow all traffic signage posts and do not park in the surface lots or any 24-hour reserved spots. Please do NOT park in
any of the remaining surface lots as they are reserved for Caltech staff and employees working on Saturday.
Check-In on the Day of the Tournament:
Head Coach Check-in is from 7:15 AM to 8:15 AM on April 8th, 2023, south of the Beckman Auditorium (big cylindrical white building).
The city permit for this event does not begin until 7:00 AM. Please do not arrive on campus until 7:00 AM; there is no overnight
camping on campus. The head coach of the team should go to check in and turn in the following material:
- Final team roster with the
participants' names and grade levels.
- Release form for all
participants, non-participating students, guests of the school
If an event requires impound, the device must be impounded during the time stated in the schedule. Teams will not need wristbands
to impound their devices since the impound period is the same as the period when the head coach checks in and receives wristbands.
However, per the rules, all devices must still be impounded by one or more of the 15 official team members. Parents or other
non-participants may not impound devices for their team, but they may accompany the team members to help transport or carry things.
Home Base Areas:
We're in the process of getting a permit from the City of Pasadena to use lawn spaces as home base areas. We hope to provide each team
with a 25ft x 20ft area ; each team may bring up to two 10 ft x 10 ft tents (red squares on the maps), pending approval.
All shade canopies must be constructed from a flame retardant material and must be tagged indicating compliance. The Fire Marshal
may check for these tags and may require that canopies not in compliance be removed. Per city regulations, there must be a minimum of
5 ft between neighboring tents, and each tent must have a total of 160 lbs anchorage distributed amongst the 4 legs. Stakes are NOT
allowed to be used to hold the tents down due to electrical wiring underground. Please be respectful of neighboring teams. The sidewalks
are fire lanes, so please keep the sidewalks clear (including extension cables). Please see this
guidelines on tents.
On the day of the event, please follow the instructions from the Fire Marshal regarding tents.
Open Flames:
Cooking and any open flames are prohibited due to safety regulations. Under no circumstances should you cook or reheat food during the day.
Food Availability:
Food will be availability for sale at Caltech on tournament day. Specific hours and location of operations will be include in the next update.
Wheelchair Accessibility:
Please let us know if anyone on your team requires wheelchair access.
Emergency Contact Information:
In case of a medical emergency, please call (626) 395-5000 or the extension x5000 if you're using a campus phone.
Messages can be emailed or texted to 5000@caltech.edu from your computer or phone. Campus security works with the
city emergency services so that they can be directed to the correct location in the shortest possible time.
Science Olympiad Code of Ethics & General Rules:
Please review with your students and parents the Science Olympiad
Code of Ethics & General Rules.
Photography on the Day of the Event:
We will have media and official photographers on the day of the tournament. If your student(s) wish not to be in photos/videos on
the day of the event, they should be instructed to remove themselves from the photo, videos, and/or interview situation to avoid
compromising the information for broadcasting and newscasts.
Please note that teams can only photograph or videotape a device if the device belongs to the photographer's affiliated school.
In the case that a team wants to take pictures of another school's device(s), permission from the owner of the device(s) must be given.
Please refer to the
National Science Olympiad Media Recommendation. If your team has a unique design that you do not want other teams to use, please make
sure you protect it by covering the device in some manner.
Awards Ceremony:
All attendees of the awards ceremony will be required to show a wristband of their division. During the morning check-in, head coaches
will receive up to 15 wristbands of blue (Div B) or yellow (Div C) for each team depending on the number of students they have.
They will also receive in their packet 19 additional wristbands for up to 4 students competing in the Trial Events, the head coach, and
14 guests of the team . Only those with the proper wristband will be admitted into the ceremony for the respective division. In order
to make sure those who are not able to get into the awards ceremony still have the opportunity to share the experience of the awards ceremony,
the ceremony will also be livestreamed on the SoCal state webpage. This livestream will be displayed in the Feynman Lecture Hall in Bridge 201.
Event Clarifications:
Please submit all rules clarification questions by filling out this
form. The only clarifications we will be following will be the ones posted on the
SoCal State web page. All clarification questions we
answer will be automatically posted on the web page, and also sent to the SoCal clarifications mailing list.
The deadline to submit clarification questions is Wednesday, March 29th, 5:00pm. Any questions submitted after that time will not be answered.
All clarifications will be final on Monday, April 4th, 11:59 PM, after which there will not be any more clarifications posted.
Flight B/C Venue Dimensions:
Flight B/C will take place in Polytechnic School - Scott Gym and the dimensions are: 25 m x 32 m x 9 m (29.5 ft.) high.
