Final Reminders

Hello GGSO community,

The 2023 GGSO Invitational is tomorrow, February 11th!

This is our final announcement before tournament day. We have included new information at the top for convenience and reminders from previous announcements below.

• Locations: Some of the event rooms have been updated since we first sent out the event schedule, so please review this document to see the most up to date locations. For some clarification on where some of these buildings are located, Bixby Commons North is in Latimer Hall and Kerr Lobby, Stephens, Tilden, Madrone, and Pauley are located in MLK Student Union. There will be signs to help direct competitors to the right location on the day of.
• Event Updates:
  • WiFi Lab will have a maximum distance of 25 m for competitors to test their antennas.
  • For the lab events (Chemistry Lab, Environmental Chemistry, and Forensics), we will be running a hands-on lab portion. We will not be providing lab equipment for the competitors to use, so we highly recommend bringing lab materials and equipment to conduct this portion of the test. You can refer to this list of recommended materials.
  • For the lab and build events, be sure to check the rules for what types of safety goggles and potentially lab aprons are required. This document describes the different types of eye protection (different levels are permitted for different events).
  • For events being held in the RSF Fieldhouse (Flight and Trajectory), there will be competitor-only spectating, meaning we will not allow any coaches, parents, or other individuals without wristbands to spectate. While we would love everyone to be able to watch, we want to abide by the Berkeley policies, and this system allows us to still have competitors spectate.
  • Flight will be tested in the RSF Fieldhouse which has dimensions 180’ x 114’ x 30’ (height). We are allowing competitors to practice flights before the first event block.
  • Scrambler will be run with the egg in a thin, transparent plastic bag.
  • Chemistry Lab, Experimental Design, Environmental Chemistry, and Forensics will all be run in Latimer Hall which is locked during the day. For these events, you must come at least 5 minutes before or at most 10 minutes after the block starts since these large companies are visiting our class.
• Remind: You can join our Remind group with code @ggso2023, by texting @ggso2023 to the number 81010, or via this link. This will be our primary mode of communication on Saturday, and it’s also where you can ask us any and all questions as they come up.
  • For more urgent questions that you would like to speak to a tournament director in person, you can go to Wheeler 222.
• Scilympiad Release Forms: We are still missing this from at least one competitor on nearly all teams. This is crucial for students to participate, so please double check that everyone on your team(s) has filled it out. The release form link to send to competitors can be accessed by following step 13 on our registration guide; you can verify its completion on the Student/Team/Event Assignment page. If any of your competitors have not yet filled it out, they will not be able to compete.
• Schedule: See our tournament day schedule overview here.
  • Check-in will be at 8am in Kerr Lobby (MLK), where you will be able to pick up your Coach Packet that contains student wristbands (required for competitors), maps, etc. After checking in, head to your homeroom and settle in.
  • See the full event schedule for our impound and block schedule. It now contains a new sheet that outlines what times each team is assigned to for self-scheduled events (Bridge, Flight, Scrambler, Trajectory, Mission Possible). Please let us know ASAP if any conflicts come up regarding self-scheduling.
  • The Awards Ceremony will take place in Pauley Ballroom. Doors will open at 5:30pm, and due to space constraints we ask that only coaches and competitors enter. The ceremony will conclude by 7:30pm, after which coaches can pick up graded exams and score sheets from Tilden in MLK.
• Scavenger Hunt: If competitors have free time on their hands (like while waiting for the Awards Ceremony) and want to explore, we’re excited to announce our scavenger hunt challenge! Be on the lookout for more details via our Instagram account (@goldengatescioly) for the chance to win a free GGSO shirt. The first stop on our scavenger hunt is our social media booth in Wheeler Hall where competitors can find free stickers, a photo frame, and more information about some of our university departmental sponsors. And in other social media news, the GGSO Tournament Trailer is out!
• Logistics:
  • The weather generally looks clear on Saturday, but please continue monitoring any changes throughout the week—prepare accordingly for transporting devices, etc.
  • Parking locations can be found on this map (some may require a daily fee). Campus maps can be found here and here. For check-in, bus parking is first-come first-serve at West Circle/Crescent parking (cars cannot park in this lot), and there is also street parking and parking garages all marked on the linked maps.
  • No food is allowed in homerooms, and homerooms must be vacated by 4:30pm. Unfortunately, we must enforce the food rule very strictly to avoid facing a $5,000 fine. Note that custodians will be monitoring the homerooms and checking trash for food waste. If the weather is as forecasted, we hope your team can grab a bite to eat outside instead—here are some of our recommendations.
  • Free WiFi is available through CalVisitor.
  • Everyone must abide by the “never alone” policy, where there should never be a minor alone in a room with one adult at any time—nor should a minor ever be forced into a one-on-one situation with a volunteer, a member of our event staff, or another adult.

If you have any questions, feel free to email us at goldengatescioly@gmail.com!

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