SCIENCE OLYMPIAD FOUNDATION- 'Let The Apple Fall Again'-

'Let The Apple Fall Again'- Yes, I am talking about The SOF, or the Science Olympiad Foundation. This is an organization in India giving respect to the promotion of Science and Information Technology in the country by providing scale level olympiads which are state, national and international level tests. These exams give a good analysis of your performance by giving all india, state & city ranks. The SQ reports give a good idea of the strong and weak areas and give a good idea of improvement in the field of weakness.
Here is what the SOF says about itself-

ETTING THE APPLE FALL Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) Against the backdrop of a scenario where the students' preference for science as a subject had gone down by an alarming 23% (as per the surveys conducted in the country), leading academicians, scientists and media people who were concerned about the falling standards of science education in the country, thought it was time to come forward and constitute a consortium. Thus, Science Olympiad Foundation was born in the year 1998. A non-profit organisation, the Science Olympiad Foundation was established, with the aim of promoting science as a subject, as stimulating as ever, as also with the objective of helping improve the standard of science education. Over the last decade or so, the organisation has striven to promote a proper understanding of science through various activities with the ultimate aim of contributing both qualitatively and quantitatively to the scientific talent pool of the country.

A ‘BETTER’ DEFINITION SOF Mission Statement : The SOF aims at furthering the cause of nation- building by contributing to the development of a scientifically talented younger generation, thereby increasing the global competitiveness of the country's immense talent resource. The SOF endeavours to: - identify and nurture scientific talent at the School level; - instil a feeling of belonging to the national and global science fraternity amongst the students through promoting their participation in national and international science events; and - infuse a new interest amongst the students by bringing in an element of contest, as in sports, and rewarding them for their successes. The SOF also realises that it cannot fully achieve its objectives unless the teaching fraternity is equally made aware of the urgent need for innovation in teaching methods. Hence it aims at bringing about a speedy and steady change in the way science education is being imparted in the country. The SOF eventually aims to become a Centre of Excellence for promotion of quality science education through research, especially in the area of science education and subsequent training of teachers.

The most common of its Olympiads is the National Science Olympiad, or the NSO. The National Science Olympiad is an academic and scholastic aptitude competition encouraging learning in Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Computer Science. Participants of NSO are ranked on the basis of marks obtained. Hence, after taking the first level of the test, students can judge themselves academically at four different levels - within the school, at city and state level, and above all at All-India level. Finally students are suitably awarded based on their national ranking. Prizes include medals, trophies, books and magazines, cash prizes, computers, mobile phones, etc.. The prizes for the first 3 toppers of each class are awarded at a grand prize distribution ceremony presided over by an eminent personality.

Another Olympiad is the National Cyber Olympiad, or the NCO. ' Computers are where the future lies. And they guarantee a bright future for everybody choosing them as a profession. '
The National Cyber Olympiad, the first of its kind in the country, is a nationwide talent search contest that will locate and identify cyber savvy talent amongst the younger generation. It is as much about creating awareness about computers by bringing in an element of challenge and competition as about inspiring the younger generation to enhance their knowledge and comprehension of issues related to computers and information technology and to test their aptitude for taking up a career in computers in the future.

Rather than testing the text book knowledge of the aspirants, the Cyber Olympiad will essentially be an aptitude test, laying stress on questions that call for mental, logical and analytical reasoning and will also concern itself with the day-to-day issues pertaining to computers and information technology such as:
1. Why do you 'boot up' a computer?
2. Who is a hacker?
3. What is the difference between RAM and ROM?
4. What is a computer virus and what would you do if your computer is infected with virus?
5. Who popularized e-mail?