Science Olympiad Event Supervisor Resources

This webpage includes all the resources needed for Protein Builders Event Supervisors to obtain event materials, organize their event space, and judge the event onsite models and onsite exams.

All Event Supervisors, State Directors, and Tournament Officials should complete this form to receive access to the digital Protein Builders Event exams and judging materials. Physical modeling kits and judging materials will be shipped to State Directors for distribution to tournament sites across each state. Please coordinate with your State Director to confirm how judging materials are shared within your state and to ensure event materials are available on your tournament date. Materials may take up to one month to arrive, so please request materials early!

Thank you for helping us run the Science Olympiad Protein Modeling Event!

The Onsite Exam - 40% of total score

During the event session, teams will complete a multiple-choice and short-answer written exam. The exam will include questions related to general protein structure and folding concepts, and will be based on the content on the student resources web page. Teams are allowed to bring one 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper, which may be in a sheet protector sealed by tape of laminated, that may contain information on both sides in any form and from any source without any affixed labels.

Onsite written exams have been developed for the invitational, regional, state and national levels of the competition. Answer keys include recommended point values for each multiple choice and short answer question, along with suggested answers for all short answer questions.

All Event Supervisors, State Directors, and Tournament Officials should complete this form to receive access to the digital Protein Builders Event exams and judging materials, where printable written exam PDF documents and answer keys can be found.

A printed copy of the onsite exam should be provided to each student team at the beginning of the event session.

The Onsite Model - 60% of total score

During the event session, teams will build a physical model representing a 20 amino acid long protein sequence. Students should have explored the content on the student resources web page in order to properly create their onsite protein model. Event supervisors are also encouraged to review these student resources.

Physical modeling kits for the onsite modeling activity have been donated to all 50 states by 3D Molecular Designs. Materials will be shipped to State Directors for distribution to tournament sites across each state. Please coordinate with your State Director to confirm how judging materials are shared within your state and to ensure event materials are available on your tournament date. Materials may take up to one month to arrive, so please request materials early!

At the start of each event session, the event supervisor will need to distribute the onsite modeling materials. Each team workspace should include the following items:

A 1.0 meter long Modeling Tie that will serve as the protein backbone
A set of 20x Amino acid sidechain models with property-color-coding clips to attach to the Modeling Tie
An Amino Acid Sidechain Chart that identifies each amino acid and it's chemical properties
The specific sequence of 20 amino acids to be modeled at the event (available here)
A printed copy of the onsite exam (available here)

Teams are also encouraged to bring a ruler or meter stick to help properly space the amino acid sidechains on their Modeling Tie.

A unique 20 amino acid sequence has been developed for each week of the Science Olympiad competition season. All Event Supervisors, State Directors, and Tournament Officials should complete this form to receive access to the digital Protein Builders Event exams and judging materials, where the onsite model amino acid sequences can be found.

A universal onsite model scoring rubric has been developed for use at all levels of the competition. The rubrics include a list of specific features to identify, a recommended point value for each feature, and an illustrated guide to help visually explain each feature to the event judges. All Event Supervisors, State Directors, and Tournament Officials should complete this form to receive access to the digital Protein Builders Event exams and judging materials, where the onsite model scoring rubric can be found.

Stay on Top of Judging!

Each event will be provided with 30x modeling kits. This will allow one session of up to 15 teams to use the materials while the onsite models and exams from the previous session are being judged. If there are more than 30 teams competing throughout the day, the onsite models used by teams from early sessions will need to be disassembled and reused for teams participating in later sessions.

Event Supervisors are strongly encouraged to begin grading onsite models from early event sessions, rather than waiting until all event sessions are finished to begin grading. This will allow modeling materials to be reused if needed and help prevent a scoring bottleneck at the end of the day.

Students should have explored the content on the student resources web page in order to properly create their onsite protein model. Event supervisors are also encouraged to review these student resources.

A universal onsite model scoring rubric has been developed for use at all levels of the competition. The rubrics include a list of specific features to identify, a recommended point value for each feature, and an illustrated guide to help visually explain each feature to the event judges.

All Event Supervisors, State Directors, and Tournament Officials should complete this form to receive access to the digital Protein Builders Event exams and judging materials, where the onsite model scoring rubric can be found.