Volunteer

How can I volunteer to support Science Olympiad in Ohio?

The 2023 Ohio Science Olympiad state tournament will be hosted at The Ohio State University. Volunteers play a crucial role in providing hundreds of middle and high school students a memorable state tournament experience. Opportunities incude:

If you are interested in volunteering at the local or regional level, but are unsure where to start, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at nmaurer@live.com.

Alumni interested in hearing about ongoing volunteer opportunities can also join a Discord community for alumni here or contact Peter Hall at hall.2963@osu.edu.

What volunteer roles are available at the Ohio Science Olympiad State Tournament?

Event Supervisors are responsible for planning and overseeing an entire event. In advance of tournament day, Event Supervisors author any written exams following our test review process (timeline below), gather needed supplies or equipment, and communicate with other members of their event team. On tournament day Event Supervisors lead their Event Staff to proctor and score any written exams, evaluate any student devices, and supervise any hands-on tasks to score each team according to the event rules.

Event Staff assist Event Supervisors on tournament day, completing tasks such as proctoring and scoring exams, evaluating student devices, or supervising hands-on activities. Their responsibilities prior to tournament day are typically limited.

Event Reviewers use a standardized list of criteria to provide anonymous, written feedback for draft exams created by our Event Supervisors. This role can be done remotely and asynchronously; it does not require you to attend the tournament.

Please note that some volunteers serve in multiple roles during a given year. For example, an Event Supervisor for one event could also serve as an Event Reviewer for a different event. Similarly, an Event Reviewer could go on to also be Event Staff on tournament day.

How are volunteers for the Ohio Science Olympiad State Tournament Selected?

Our goal is to provide every student a state tournament that is safe, fair, rigorous, and fun — for this, we rely heavily on our volunteers. We identify potential volunteers through several mechanisms:

  1. Event Supervisor nominations from invitational and regional tournaments
  2. Records of past volunteers at the Ohio Science Olympiad State Tournament
  3. Relationships with stakeholders at The Ohio State University
  4. Offers of help from alumni, coaches, and other community members

When selecting volunteers and assigning them to roles, we consider many factors. These include any past experiences working with the volunteer, any nominations we received from regional or invitational tournaments, their areas of subject matter expertise, and the depth of their Science Olympiad experience. These factors allow us to determine an appropriate role for each potential volunteer. Particularly when selecting State Event Supervisors, we strongly prefer individuals who have received positive feedback (e.g. a nomination) on their performance as a prior Event Supervisor at state, regional, or invitational tournaments. In assigning roles, we also consider geographic diversity so that teams and regions from across the state are represented equitably. 

Sign up to volunteer!