+ Can middle school students participate in this initiative and the Online Open competition?

Yes! Any middle or high school student will be allowed to participate, but please keep in mind that our video content and tests during the Online Open competition will be geared toward high school students.

+ Can college students participate in the Online Open competition?

No. This competition is geared towards students who have not yet graduated high school or who graduated high school during the spring that the Online Open is hosted.

+ Can international students participate in the Online initiative?

Yes! HUSO’s mission is to make STEM education and competition accessible for all students, including those outside of the United States.

+ Do you need previous experience with Science Olympiad or STEM to participate in HUSO Online or the HUSO Online Open?

Not at all! Students of all backgrounds are welcomed and encouraged to participate in the Online Open. Moreover, HUSO Online is completely unaffiliated with National Science Olympiad and our events are 100% distinct. Experience in Science Olympiad or STEM may give you more of a foundation when learning these concepts, but participating in HUSO Online is completely possible without any prior Science Olympiad experience!

+ Is the HUSO Online Open an individual or team competition? Does a participant need to register as part of a team and/or can they compete individually?

The HUSO Online Open competition will have four competition ladders: (1) protected teams, (2) unprotected teams, (3) protected individuals/pairs, and (4) unprotected individuals/pairs.

• Teams can consist of at most 15 students from the same school. We recommend forming teams of between 10-15 students, though teams of less than 10-15 students will also be allowed to register.
• Teams, individuals, and pairs may register under protected ladders if they are from a United States Title 1 school.

We encourage registration as a team if possible – in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe that team-building and community is more important than ever. We hope that in addition to gaining education and competition opportunities, participants will learn that science is often a collaborative endeavor and maybe even find that the real treasure was actually the friends they made along the way ;).

We also hope that this format will give competitors an opportunity to step out of their comfort zone and participate in events they may be less comfortable in and explore topics they previously would not have.

+ How many students participate in an event together?

Events will allow 1-2 participants per team.

+ How long is each event?

Each event will be 1 hour long.

+ How long is the HUSO Online Open competition?

Although the exact date of the Online Open has not yet been released, this competition will span over a single day.

+ Will the educational content that you publish still be available to me if I do not participate in the Online Open competition?

Yes! Our educational content will be available publicly for everyone. However, we still highly recommend that you participate in the Online Open and gain experience with STEM competitions.

+ How much does it cost to participate in the HUSO Online program/the HUSO Online Open?

1 million dollars! Just kidding, we’re not Dr. Evil and it is completely free to participate in HUSO Online.

+ Is there a way to stay in the loop with HUSO Online updates?

The easiest way to stay up to date with HUSO and HUSO Online news is to join our mailing list and follow us on social media (Facebook and Instagram)! We will post all our updates and send out information as it becomes available. Be sure also to check back for updates to FAQs rules clarifications and any announcements.

+ Can I request specific topics to be covered in HUSO Online videos?

We are always happy to take suggestions, but we cannot guarantee that every request we get will be fulfilled due to resource constraints.

+ What is the difference between HUSO Online, HUSO Online Open, and HUSO-BSO MiniSO?

The 2021 HUSO-BSO MiniSO tournaments are the online only version of our traditional Division B and C tournaments due to the current COVID 19 pandemic. For more information about MiniSO tournaments, please check out https://www.soinc.org/play/tournaments. More information regarding the HUSO-BSO MiniSO tournaments is under the Tournament > Division C/B.

HUSO Online is a completely new service initiative aimed at providing virtual education and mentorship not only because of the pandemic, but for a digital age. It will consist of digital videos, activities and most excitingly, our Online Open competition. HUSO Online Open is a new, non-Science Olympiad affiliated tournament that is disseminated and designed for an optimal virtual experience.

+ When is HUSO Online happening? When is the HUSO Online Open happening?

HUSO Online will be releasing educational content all throughout the 2020-2021 school year. We anticipate releasing our first videos in November. We plan to host the HUSO Online Open competition sometime in May 2021 (and will be cognizant of Advanced Placement Exam Schedules for high schoolers). We aim to release the official date sometime in January or February.