Throughout the year, Science Olympiad hosts webinars featuring event experts, coaches, alumni, industry professionals, and valued partners. From event preparation and team management to STEM careers, scholarship opportunities, emerging technologies, and partner programs, these sessions provide valuable resources to help students, coaches, and volunteers succeed both in competition and beyond.
2027 Season Webinars
Unless labelled otherwise all webinars will take place from 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Central Time.
Science Olympiad 2027 Season Kickoff: What’s New and What’s Ahead
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Start the Science Olympiad season informed, prepared, and ready to make the most of the year ahead! Join the Science Olympiad National Office for an overview of what’s new for the 2027 season, including new partners, expanded resources, important dates and timelines, and opportunities available to teams, educators, and the broader Science Olympiad community. Whether you’re returning for another season or getting involved for the first time, this webinar will help you navigate the months ahead and take advantage of everything the new season has to offer.
Join Andy Hamm—experienced Science Olympiad coach, Rules Committee Chair, and National Event Supervisor—for an in-depth look at this exciting flight event. Andy will break down the rules, share practical guidance for designing, building and testing devices, and highlight common challenges teams may encounter. Participants will leave with valuable insights and resources to help students prepare for a successful competition season.
Building Better Boomilevers: Design Construction and Testing
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Join members of the Science Olympiad National Structures Team, Chuck Stachovic, Greg Marconnet, Kevin Krakora, for an in-depth look at Boomilever. This webinar will explore key considerations for designing, building and testing a competitive structure while highlighting the event rules, construction techniques and common challenges teams may encounter. Participants will leave with practical strategies and helpful insights to guide students throughout the competition season.
Join Brian Turnbull and Chuck Andraka—expert flyers from the National Free Flight Society (NFFS) and experienced Science Olympiad coaches—for an in-depth look at Wright Stuff. They will share practical guidance on aircraft design, construction, trimming, testing and troubleshooting while highlighting common challenges teams may encounter. Participants will leave with proven strategies and valuable insights to help students build confidently and achieve longer, more consistent flights.
Brian Turnbull and Chuck Andraka are back for another flight event! These expert flyers from the National Free Flight Society (NFFS) and experienced Science Olympiad coaches will turn their attention to Elastic Launched Glider. They will share practical guidance on glider design, construction, launching, trimming, testing and troubleshooting while addressing common challenges teams may encounter. Participants will leave with proven strategies to help students achieve higher launches, smoother transitions and longer, more consistent flights.
Take a closer look at Code Craze, the Science Olympiad trial event being developed in partnership with CodeHS. Join CodeHS presenters Dave Kleinhans and Steve Cottington as they review results from the event’s first year and preview plans for Year 2. Coaches and teachers will learn how to create a free CodeHS account, access the Code Craze course, enroll students and explore the materials from both the educator and student perspectives. Event Supervisors will also receive guidance on running a competition, including the three event components—QuizBuzz, Code Errors Quiz and Coding Challenge—as well as scoring, tiebreakers, participant monitoring and academic integrity tools.
Botany: Growing into Science Olympiad’s Newest Event
Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Dig into Science Olympiad’s newest event with Dr. Rob Halgren of Michigan State University. With extensive experience teaching biology and expertise in orchid cultivation and breeding, Dr. Halgren brings a unique combination of scientific knowledge and practical plant experience to Botany. As coordinator of the Michigan Science Olympiad State Tournament, he also understands the event from a competition perspective. This webinar will introduce the event, explore its major content areas, and share guidance and resources to help coaches and students prepare to compete.
Turn up the heat and get ready for Thermodynamics! Join Karen Emmons, Science Olympiad Physics Rules Committee Chair, and Ian Emmons, Physics Rules Committee member, as they explore the key scientific concepts behind heat transfer and provide practical guidance for designing, building and testing an effective insulated device. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of the event rules, testing procedures and competition expectations, along with strategies for collecting data, improving device performance and helping students prepare for a successful season.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to build a reliable chain-reaction device! Join Jeremy Gerber, physics teacher and longtime Science Olympiad head coach at Northridge High School, for an in-depth look at Mission Possible. Drawing on his extensive experience coaching and supervising the event, Jeremy will explore the rules, device planning, task selection, construction and troubleshooting. Participants will learn practical strategies for creating reliable transfers, improving consistency and helping students successfully move their devices from the drawing board to competition.
