Training Camp

The USESO Training Camp program is a week-long residential program for U.S. high school students that occurs annually in June, and is the only path through which students are selected to represent the United States at the International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO).

Sign up for the USESO newsletter to be notified when registration opens for the next USESO Training Camp!

At the conclusion of the program, we announce the 8 students selected for the U.S. Earth Science Team at the IESO occurring later in the summer. Additional details can be found below and on the Programs > Calendar page.

National Open Exam Eligibility Policy

The opportunity to attend the Training Camp begins with taking the National Open Exam in spring. We require that eligible proctors are verified with USESO prior to the Exam. See Announcements for the upcoming year’s resources.

Proctor Eligibility

This policy is in place to ensure the integrity and fairness of the examination process and any violations will be taken seriously.

The examination must be proctored by an individual who is a teacher or administrator at the student’s school. A proctor at a professional testing facility is also acceptable.
All proctors will be verified by USESO personnel. If verification is not completed before the exam window, the proctor will not be eligible.
The proctor must register using a professional email address that clearly indicates their affiliation with their organization. The email address domain must match the organization’s website domain.
The examination must be proctored in a school or professional testing center.
The proctor must not have any familial relationship with the participating student.
One proctor may supervise multiple students at the same school (this is encouraged!).
Any student found to be in violation of the Proctor Policy will not be allowed to take the Open Exam and may have their scores revoked.
If a student’s scores are revoked due to a violation of the proctor policy, they will not be eligible to retake the exam and may also be subject to additional penalties as determined by USESO.

Student Eligibility

Age requirement: USESO has updated its age requirements for Training Camp eligibility. Students must be 15 years of age or older by June 13, 2026 in order to attend Training Camp. Students who are younger are welcome to take the National Open Exam to gain experience in our test, but they are not eligible to attend Training Camp. This update is in response to recent airline rule changes regarding unaccompanied minors.

Learning earth science at every competition level

Camp Eligibility

Selected to attend from the National Open Exam
Attending grades 9-12 in the spring prior to Camp
At least 15 years of age by the first day of Camp
Fluent in English, the official language of the IESO
A permanent resident of the United States (i.e. a U.S. citizen or green card holder)

Students do not need to have a U.S. Passport to participate in USESO programs or the IESO.

National Open Exam

Participants for the Training Camp are chosen from students achieving outstanding scores on an exam of general Earth science (past exams are available for practice).

Up to 40 students are invited to our training program each year based on their performance on the open exam. More information about our exact selection criteria can be found in our FAQ. Students younger than ninth grade may also take the exam for experience, but cannot
attend the training camp.

The link to register for the next Open Exam will be posted on our home page.

Training Camp

Up to 40 qualifying students from the National Open Exam may attend the Training Camp. Students are expected to come with a solid foundation in Earth science in order to be well-prepared for camp activities, including:

Outdoor field trips designed to enhance understanding of theoretical Earth science knowledge and expand practical field skills
Team projects using self-collected data and online resources similar to the challenges at the IESO
Discussions with distinguished faculty and industry experts doing work relevant to the Earth and environmental sciences

Upon conclusion of camp, scores from a theoretical and practical exam will be considered along with the team investigations to select the members of the U.S. Earth Science Team.

U.S. Earth Science Team & IESO

Each year, the top four qualifying students from the Training Camp are selected for the U.S. Earth Science Team (international team).

In most years, up to four additional guest students may travel with the team. While guests cannot qualify for individual medals, they may participate and earn awards in international team events where students from up to ten countries collaborate on projects examining real-world issues. The USESO recognizes the importance of the IESO international team events for representing global work essential in the field of earth science.

USESO has attended the international event since the first IESO in 2007. Past USESO students have achieved numerous gold and silver medals in the individual competition, the best practical exam, and more international team awards than any other country.