Rules Committees | Science Olympiad (original) (raw)

Science Olympiad National Rules Committees

Members on the Science Olympiad National Rules Committees (NRC) act as volunteer developers of one of the organization's primary assets, the annual Rules Manual, from which subsequent activities and processes stream: team membership, tournaments and educational resources.

Six committees oversee 23 events in both Division B (Grades 6-9) and Division C (Grades 9-12), each with an appointed Chair. Being a member of this team means you will be expected to perform specific duties on a regular schedule, and in turn, you will be invited to shape the content of one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions.

Main Responsibilities of the Committees

Rules Development: NRC members work across an annual academic calendar to create the Event Rules for each of the 46 official events and additional trial events in the Science Olympiad lineup each year. Many of these events are duplicated across Divisions, some of which repeat from year to year while others rotate into the lineup. The rules development process culminates each year when Science Olympiad releases free Rules the Tuesday after Labor Day.

Resource Development: NRC members contribute to developing, writing or recording materials that will enable the experience for students, coaches and event supervisors as they prepare for Science Olympiad tournaments. This includes tests, handouts, study guides, webinars or videos that can appear on the main soinc.org website, on the Science Olympiad TV YouTube page, or in the Science Olympiad digital Store.

Event Supervision: NRC members are Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in their respective fields and are willing to run events for Science Olympiad tournaments at the local, state and national levels.

Professional Development: NRC members present Rules content at workshops at the local, state and National levels.

Committee Meetings: NRC members actively participate in organizational planning and decision-making meetings where they make sound and informed judgments that advance the goals of the Science Olympiad organization.

To find out more about joining a committee, please fill out our Volunteer DRIVE form here, and you'll be contacted by one of the committee members below. Should you be invited to join a committee as a full member, you'll be expected to sign a Committee Affirmation describing the duties above in more detail.

National Rules Committee Chairs & Deputy Chairs

Rules Committee Moderator: Dan Nichols, Executive Director, Science Olympiad

Life, Personal & Social Science: Chair, Karen Lancour; Dr. Cynthia Robyn Fischer, Deputy Chair

Earth & Space Science: Dr. Dusty Schroeder, Chair; Dr. Emily Miaou, Deputy Chair

Physical Science: Karen Emmons, Chair

Chemistry: Linda Wozniewski, Chair; EmJ Rennich, Deputy Chair

Technology & Engineering: CeAnn Chalker, Chair; Brian Hoffman, Deputy Chair

Inquiry & Nature of Science: Andy Hamm, Chair; Maha Hrbac, Deputy Chair