It’s that time of year again where the post-nats slacking sets in. Well we are here to PUMP YOU UP for the next season! SSSS is returning yet again this summer, once again headed by our favorite partners in crime, foreverphysics and syo_astro! Also accompanying them this year is BennyTheJett, who has stepped into an administrative role after years of being a mod.
Please read through all of this post, even though it’s slightly on the longer side! All details for SSSS can be found here.
Note: SSSS is not a tournament. It is not meant to be a competitive event, but an unofficial study event to practice for the upcoming Science Olympiad season.
SSSS will begin on June 15, 2021 and continue through mid-August (we will announce the official end date closer to August based on the availability of the selected moderators).
This event will be run similarly to previous years. You submit a resource, listed below, for one of the events scheduled for the 2021-2022 season. Once it is approved by an SSSS moderator, you gain access to all other resources submitted to SSSS! The resources are yours to use, but we ask that they are not shared with other people (including teammates) not in SSSS. Around August, when SSSS ends, these resources are uploaded to the Wiki, Test Exchange, and Image Gallery unless otherwise specified. Builds are accepted.
Please note that any resources submitted may be uploaded to the Wiki or Test Exchange at the end of the event, regardless of whether or not they were accepted. This is so the maximum number of resources are available for other people to use and learn from.
Interested? Here are the logistics of participating in SSSS in detail:
How To Participate:
- Make a Scioly.org Forums account if you don’t have one yet. Due to logistical reasons, we can only add users who are members of Scioly.org.
- There are multiple ways to get involved. First, pick an event from our list of tentative 2022 events in this document.
Events with specific lists attached to them (i.e. Rocks and Minerals, Herpetology, etc.) will have the lists linked in the events document.
- Submission guidelines. Related to your chosen event, your submission can be any from the following list:
- A test with an answer key (send the test and key as two separate PDFs). This must be tournament quality and length.
- You may submit notes for an event scheduled for 2022. The notes must be similarly extensive and at least 7,000 words long.
- You may submit a set of images AND build plans for build events. There must be at least 3 images. They can be CAD or actual images.
- You may submit a building guide for build events, like Aia’s Boomilever Guide. Guides must be a minimum of 1,000 words and include diagrams and clear, concise instructions. Tips are good as well.
- Check the Test Exchange to find examples of tests that have been submitted by other users in the past. These are also examples we advise moderators to compare with as well. All tests that are sub-bullets of “SSSS 2021,” or other years, are past resources that were accepted.
- Email your resource to summer@scioly.org. The email should be titled [Your Scioly.org username]’s [Name of Event] [Type of Resource: Test, Notes, Plans, or Guide]; for example, “BennyTheJett’s Dynamic Planet Notes.” The file(s) should be attached to the email in PDF format. Please compress your images to minimize your file size as large files will be difficult to upload.
- The moderators will look over your submission. If it is not approved, we will reply to the email with suggestions on issues and/or improvement. Our moderators will work with you to improve the quality of your submission until it is accepted, usually advising what to look into or study. You should receive a response from within 5 days, but please feel free to remind us if you don’t. When responding to an email, please click REPLY TO ALL. Failure to do so may cause confusion and delays in processing your submission.
- Once accepted, you will be provided with details on how to access SSSS resources through your Scioly.org account.
Moderator Applications:
Thank you to everyone who applied to help moderate SSSS. We have selected moderators and notified all who applied. If you applied but were not selected, we are sorry we couldn't make room for you. We hope you'll still consider making a resource submission—it's another way you can help support SSSS!
We need a ton of help to make SSSS work, so here’s your chance to give back to the Scioly.org community and gain significant practice with test writing and reviewing! Be a mod! Fill out the [url=https://forms.gle/iAFrVgC2VRLDj9GV7]application here[/url]. [b]Qualifications:[/b] [list=1] [*] A willingness to give back to the Scioly.org community. [*] Interest in gaining experience with test writing and reviewing. [*] A Scioly.org Forums account. [*] Availability throughout the summer, from June 15, 2021 to mid-August.[break][/break](Moderators can expect to spend about 5–10 hours a week moderating tests during the height of SSSS.) [*] Responsiveness by email and [url=https://discord.com/]Discord[/url]. (You will be expected to review and reply to submissions within a few days of receipt.) [*] Each moderator will also be expected to create and submit a resource to SSSS. [/list] Moderators will be notified of their selection two to four days before SSSS begins to allow for maximum time for applications to come in.
FAQs:
Have any questions or comments? First, check our new extra detailed list of instructions. We compiled questions from 8 years in our FAQs in this document.
You can respond to this post, private message foreverphysics, syo_astro or BennyTheJett; email foreverphysics at foreverphysics@scioly.org; or email the mods at summer@scioly.org.
