Crime Busters B

[drcubbin]

Very Strange... Last year, I was told that the intent was to standardize the chem equipment so that kids grabbing a crime busters kit would not be penalized for having unauthorized equipment in Potions. This seems to be going in the opposite direction again where 2 separate kits are required.

I attended the Science Olympiad Summer Institute and that is exactly the impression I had gotten from what was being said. The kits are so close, why not just unify them. In addition, I think they could have "trimmed" the list a bit. That's a lot of glassware (as I prefer them working with glass anyway) and not all is really necessary.

[Galahad]

Very Strange... Last year, I was told that the intent was to standardize the chem equipment so that kids grabbing a crime busters kit would not be penalized for having unauthorized equipment in Potions. This seems to be going in the opposite direction again where 2 separate kits are required.

I attended the Science Olympiad Summer Institute and that is exactly the impression I had gotten from what was being said. The kits are so close, why not just unify them. In addition, I think they could have "trimmed" the list a bit. That's a lot of glassware (as I prefer them working with glass anyway) and not all is really necessary.

Yeah. As a Crime Busters and a Potions competitor I can vouch for that. At nationals last year, we used the same kit for potions and crime as the lists were identical. They should've done it again this year...

[CCBlazer]

How important is it to have the kit? Can I gather all the items we need without buying the $200 kit?
Thoughts?

[Unome]

Can I gather all the items we need without buying the $200 kit?

Yes

[pikachu4919]

Can I gather all the items we need without buying the $200 kit?

Yes

Yes, indeed. Even tho I've only competed in Forensics C and never in Crime Busters B, the materials acquisition principles should be similar. Many of the qualitative analysis substances can either be sourced from your school's chemistry department or from the general store. Polymers are a bit trickier, but for me, my local JoAnn's Fabrics store let me have 1-inch samples of all the fabrics that were 100% of the fibers I needed (like 1 inch wide, as long as the length of the fabric on the roll), for hairs, you can collect human hair samples from yourself or your friends (haircuts!), and you can collect dog and cat hair from your or your friends' pets. The plastics are a bit trickier, especially since many sources of plastic that are around you may not necessarily be pure samples of the polymers they're made of. And then all the reagents and lab equipment should also be obtainable from your school's chemistry department, although I don't know much about your particular school so I'm not necessarily qualified to comment on feasibility of obtaining materials in that sense.

Hope this helps!

[dholdgreve]

Very Strange... Last year, I was told that the intent was to standardize the chem equipment so that kids grabbing a crime busters kit would not be penalized for having unauthorized equipment in Potions. This seems to be going in the opposite direction again where 2 separate kits are required.

I attended the Science Olympiad Summer Institute and that is exactly the impression I had gotten from what was being said. The kits are so close, why not just unify them. In addition, I think they could have "trimmed" the list a bit. That's a lot of glassware (as I prefer them working with glass anyway) and not all is really necessary.

I'd hope that the list is "all inclusive" and allow the individual teams to pick and choose which items they feel are critical to have in their kit, and just because it is on the list, doesn't mean it is 'required." I agree that in some cases, certain items that are on the list would not be helpful in Crime Busters... Erlenmeyer flasks as an example... .

[drcubbin]

Very Strange... Last year, I was told that the intent was to standardize the chem equipment so that kids grabbing a crime busters kit would not be penalized for having unauthorized equipment in Potions. This seems to be going in the opposite direction again where 2 separate kits are required.

I attended the Science Olympiad Summer Institute and that is exactly the impression I had gotten from what was being said. The kits are so close, why not just unify them. In addition, I think they could have "trimmed" the list a bit. That's a lot of glassware (as I prefer them working with glass anyway) and not all is really necessary.

I'd hope that the list is "all inclusive" and allow the individual teams to pick and choose which items they feel are critical to have in their kit, and just because it is on the list, doesn't mean it is 'required." I agree that in some cases, certain items that are on the list would not be helpful in Crime Busters... Erlenmeyer flasks as an example... .

Agreed, Dan. I have spoken with our students regarding what they really need and what they can definitely live without. Unfortunately, there are a lot of teams with novice members who will be overwhelmed by that amount of materials. The last time I saw the amount of glassware on that list was when I took my family on a tour of the Pyrex factory complex, on the banks of the Monongahela River in PA!!

[Galahad]

I attended the Science Olympiad Summer Institute and that is exactly the impression I had gotten from what was being said. The kits are so close, why not just unify them. In addition, I think they could have "trimmed" the list a bit. That's a lot of glassware (as I prefer them working with glass anyway) and not all is really necessary.

I'd hope that the list is "all inclusive" and allow the individual teams to pick and choose which items they feel are critical to have in their kit, and just because it is on the list, doesn't mean it is 'required." I agree that in some cases, certain items that are on the list would not be helpful in Crime Busters... Erlenmeyer flasks as an example... .

Agreed, Dan. I have spoken with our students regarding what they really need and what they can definitely live without. Unfortunately, there are a lot of teams with novice members who will be overwhelmed by that amount of materials. The last time I saw the amount of glassware on that list was when I took my family on a tour of the Pyrex factory complex, on the banks of the Monongahela River in PA!!

I can vouch for this, but I mean we had to use 40 test tubes at nats haha.

But we've NEVER touched our spot plate, petri dish, or microscope slides

[Incineroar999]

I am kinda stressed about this event. Is there an easy way to determine whether the hair is dog/cat/human?

[drcubbin]

I'd hope that the list is "all inclusive" and allow the individual teams to pick and choose which items they feel are critical to have in their kit, and just because it is on the list, doesn't mean it is 'required." I agree that in some cases, certain items that are on the list would not be helpful in Crime Busters... Erlenmeyer flasks as an example... .

Agreed, Dan. I have spoken with our students regarding what they really need and what they can definitely live without. Unfortunately, there are a lot of teams with novice members who will be overwhelmed by that amount of materials. The last time I saw the amount of glassware on that list was when I took my family on a tour of the Pyrex factory complex, on the banks of the Monongahela River in PA!!

I can vouch for this, but I mean we had to use 40 test tubes at nats haha.

But we've NEVER touched our spot plate, petri dish, or microscope slides

40 test tubes?? Even a "series" of serial dilutions (which should ideally be done in a spot plate, anyhoo!) should not use that many. So why?