Scioly.org

chalker wrote:

Entomology wrote:It's already been somewhat discussed in this thread, but why is fossils rotating out? Why would the committee change that? it's been a consistent three year rotation for a while and I am determined to keep my trilobites and corals in rotation for as long as possible.
If anyone has committee contact info that would be great.

It's not in my committee, but I'm pretty sure the reason for the switch is to get Fossils / Rocks on the standard 2 year rotation schedule that virtually all the other events follow. They were a bit of an anomaly, which the committee is correcting.

Do you think they will add additional topics into the rotation? All other 2 year rotations have 3 or more topics that rotate through (except Stars/Solar system...but that does not continue on in Div C) Remote Sensing/Geologic Mapping is also currently a 3 year rotation with 2 topics. I would be interested in seeing new topics added in.

Fanglin wrote:I heard Time to Fly is a trial event this year. If it is around next year, I am going to do it so well! It also looks like a very easy event, you just have to memorize a ton of FAA regulations and things like that.

Time to Fly is really hard, the test at Stout was all about flight routes and which lights meant what. One team had someone with a pilot's license, and they got 22/60.

rfscoach wrote: Do you think they will add additional topics into the rotation? All other 2 year rotations have 3 or more topics that rotate through (except Stars/Solar system...but that does not continue on in Div C) Remote Sensing/Geologic Mapping is also currently a 3 year rotation with 2 topics. I would be interested in seeing new topics added in.

I think Remote/Geologic is also going to a 2 year rotation effective next year.

Hm, well as far as additional topics go, I believe remote/geomaps, fossils/rocks, and dyplan cover quite a bit already. I think the main complaint of earth sci I've heard is something like remote doesn't cover meteo very well even though that's supposed to be its focus and geomaps has way to broad a scope. But these issues don't deal much with additional events in the cycle. One could always come up with trial event rules and get some tournaments to try them out, but first one needs an idea. I imagine it'd probably be easier to come up with one revolving around the theme of image/map analysis in earth sci that remote/geomaps presents, but that may just be adding topics under those events. Rocks/fossils might be tougher just because it should be another ID event, and I don't know what earth sci-y ID isn't already covered. If you have an idea, I'd bet you could work through the trial events by drafting some rules, but it's always easier said than done of course.

Any speculation on the biome for should-be Ecology?

gavinnupp wrote:Any speculation on the biome for should-be Ecology?

It seems that the new biome for ecology sticks around, so we might be able to conclude that one of the biomes will be the tundra. Unless they bring desert again then we know half of what's coming.

Jaol wrote:

gavinnupp wrote:Any speculation on the biome for should-be Ecology?

It seems that the new biome for ecology sticks around, so we might be able to conclude that one of the biomes will be the tundra. Unless they bring desert again then we know half of what's coming.

The first year will be Tundra and Forests, the second year will be Deserts and Grasslands.

I had heard a rumor that Road Scholar was supposed to be on its way out, something to do with the limited availability of topographic maps now - since they're all digitally available, there's no longer a need for warehousing hard copies. I know it's a "fan favorite" though.

SPP SciO wrote:I had heard a rumor that Road Scholar was supposed to be on its way out, something to do with the limited availability of topographic maps now - since they're all digitally available, there's no longer a need for warehousing hard copies. I know it's a "fan favorite" though.

As of right now, Road Scholar is planned to continue for several years.

Do any of you guys know when Fossils will be back?