Join us for Eyewire’s Wild World of Weather!
In some places, there’s an old tale that February is the shortest month because its weather is the worst: you just want it to be over already! Of course, given different hemispheres and regional climate patterns, that’s not very fair to February worldwide. However, with Eyewire HQ situated in tempestuous, unpredictable New England, we’re no stranger to wacky atmospheric antics, and this month most of all!
Therefore, for our first challenge week of 2021, it seems very fitting to dive into meteorology: the science of weather, or more precisely, atmospheric physics and chemistry. Amidst your usual tracing for neuroscience, join us for opportunities to learn about how our planet’s atmosphere works and how scientists have learned to predict what phenomena to expect on any given day! And of course, there will be many special badges and bonuses as well.
On February 18th, Eyewire will dive into the Wild World of Weather!
*All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST).*
Accuracy Happy Hours
First session runs from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM on Thursday 2/18
Second session runs from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Friday 2/19
Third session runs from 10:00 PM to midnight on Friday 2/19
What does it take to predict the weather accurately? Later in this challenge week, we’ll talk more about the more advanced meteorological tools that have been developed over the centuries, but you don’t need to have all those devices in order to make certain basic predictions yourself. As you try to trace cubes as accurately as possible, get ready to learn some classic indicators of incoming weather patterns!
Swag (made possible by generous donations from our past player @susi): Most accurate player completing at least 30 cubes wins their choice of face mask or notebook, plus their choice of sticker or magnet! Second and third place will each also win their choice of sticker or magnet.
Bonuses:
1st Place Accuracy – 10,000 points
2nd Place Accuracy – 8,000 points
3rd Place Accuracy – 6,000 points
Achieve 95% Accuracy – 5,000 points
Achieve 90% Accuracy – 3,000 points
Achieve 80% Accuracy – 2,000 points
1,000 points for anyone under 80% who still plays at least 30 cubes in either slot.
(These bonus thresholds are non-cumulative, i.e. they will not combine. If you earn 3rd place, for instance, and presumably got over 95% accuracy, you still earn a 6,000 point bonus, not 11,000.)
Hunt
Begins at 12:00 AM (midnight) on Saturday 2/20
Ends at 12:00 PM (noon) on Thursday 2/25
All right, so you can predict some of the weather approaching your own backyard. But what about monitoring an entire planet’s weather patterns? There are so many factors to consider all at once, so much data to process, that most people might have trouble separating signal from noise. As you now pick out mergers from a cluttered cell overview, we’re going to study how scientists are able to predict recurring global phenomena (like hurricane seasons, monsoons, and droughts) and long-term trends (like global warming).
Swag: The top scoring player will win their choice of face mask or notebook, plus their choice of sticker or magnet! Second and third place will each also win their choice of sticker or magnet.
Bonuses:
Each merger found – 1,000 points
7,500 additional points if all 12 are found
200 point bonus available on each merger to the player whose guess is closest
250 point bonus available to any player who guesses within 10 voxels of a merger
Trivia
Begins at 11:00 AM on Sunday 2/21
Continues until 11:00 AM on Tuesday 2/23
Finishes with Power Hour from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Tuesday 2/23
Meteorology nerds unite! “Talking about the weather” isn’t just for idle chit-chat right now. During this Trivia window, our dear bot @inquizitor will be firing off questions about weather phenomena, forecasting, neuroscience, and other science topics. Show us your smarts!
Swag: The top scoring player will win their choice of face mask or notebook, plus their choice of sticker or magnet! Second and third place will each also win their choice of sticker or magnet.
Bonuses:
For every question —
1st to answer – 300 points
2nd to answer – 200 points
3rd to answer – 100 points
Rain vs. Snow
Begins at 11:00 AM on Monday 2/22
Ends at 11:00 AM on Wednesday 2/24
If you had to pick just one sort of precipitation in your life, some people would take rain in a heartbeat, and other people would vastly prefer snow. After reviewing the science behind each, choose your team and fight to determine the weather winner!
Swag: The top scoring player on the winning team wins their choice of tote bag or t-shirt! Also, among the top 50% of players on the winning team, 1 player will be raffled their choice of tote bag or t-shirt, and 3 more players will be raffled their choice of sticker or magnet.
Bonuses:
Starting Lineup – top 3 players on each team, who earn 75% of their score in bonus points
All Other Players – earn 50% of their score in bonus points
Winning Team – 20,000 additional points
Each Team’s MVP – 5,000 additional points
(The winning team is determined by average points per player, with 2x weight given to Starting Lineup players. To qualify for any of the above bonuses or affect the team score, players must earn a minimum baseline of 2,000 points.)
Solar Storm Marathon
Begins at 10:00 AM on Wednesday 2/24
Ends at 10:00 AM on Thursday 2/25
You’re reading this correctly! Challenge week marathons are now starting at 10:00 AM instead of 8:00.
A lot of what we see in the sky is governed by self-contained processes rooted in the Earth’s natural cycles. However, behind all of this lies the Sun, 150 million kilometers away from us. The Sun influences our atmosphere on a daily basis, but sometimes it has an extra big impact when coronal mass ejections or other events cause geomagnetic disruptions in our outermost atmosphere, and the effects are simply wild! Because a solar storm rarely lasts more 24 hours, we ask you to join us for 24 hours to learn about geomagnetic weather… and finish as many cells as you can!
Swag: The top player (defined by number of points earned during the marathon time period) will win their choice of tote bag or t-shirt! Also, among the top 25% of players, 2 players will each be raffled their choice of tote bag or t-shirt, and 3 more players will be raffled their choice of sticker or magnet.
Bonuses:
One live cell will be designated the “marathon cell,” with a 3x points multiplier!
Cube count bonuses: 3500 points per cube traced.
SC bonuses are doubled on all cells.
Every 3 SCs counts for 1 cube toward naming eligibility & per-cell completion bonus.
50 cubes = 5,000 points per completed cell, plus rights to vote on a new name for the marathon cell
200 cubes = 10,000 points per completed cell, plus rights to nominate a new name for the marathon cell
Wild World of Weather Closing Ceremony
Begins at 4:00 PM on Friday 2/26
Come celebrate the end of this competition, where admins will recognize everyone’s achievements. As always, we will include a round of promotions for Scouts, Scythes, Mystics, Moderators, and Mentors. If you’d like a promotion, you can request them here.
Artwork by Daniela Gamba