|
2012 Science Bowl
Middle School Science Bowl
January 28, 2012
Mark your calendars now to be a part of the Bonneville Power Administration's Middle School Science Bowl! Form a team and show you've got what it takes to compete against the best teams in Oregon and Washington. This is an academic competition and is guaranteed to excite and challenge the brightest middle school students in the Northwest.
The basics
- For students in grades 6, 7, and 8 and one alternate (option)
- Academic competition Saturday
- Held on the beautiful University of Portland campus in Portland, Oregon
- Teams from Oregon and western Washington are invited and welcome to participate
- Meals provided
- No registration fee
- Up to 64 teams can participate - Winning academic team advances to the Department of Energy's National competition.
The academic competition
The Bonneville Power Administration's Middle School Science Bowl is one of 40 regional competitions held across the nation. The academic competition is a fast-paced question-and-answer contest where students answer questions about earth, physical, life and general sciences, and math. Both round robin and double-elimination formats are used.
Each 16-minute match has a two-minute intermission. Questions are read aloud by a moderator. Any player can buzz in to answer a toss-up question. Points are awarded for a correct answer, and the team then has an opportunity to answer a bonus question. At the end of the match, the team with the most points wins.
Science Bowl is a rapid-fire, daylong competition in which high school students compete against other high school students by answering questions from a wide range of science and math disciplines. The winning team receives an all-expenses-paid trip to the DOE's National Science Bowl.
Form your team
Teams are comprised of up to five students (four members and an alternate) and an adult (21 years or older) who serves as coach. Students must be enrolled for the current school year in grades 6, 7, or 8 at the team's school and must be less than 20 years of age. The coach can be a teacher, TAG coordinator, parent, community volunteer, etc.
Four of the team's five players compete at any one time - regardless of which player has been designated as the alternate. During the intermission or between matches, the coach can substitute a player.
What to study
Science Bowl questions cover a variety of topics: astronomy, biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and earth and general sciences. Preparation pays off. Top teams frequently spend months practicing for the event. Click here for some sample questions.
How to play the game
The format is similar to the National Science Bowl. The morning session is a round-robin tournament, with the top 16 teams advancing to the double-elimination competition in the afternoon session.
Each 16-minute match has a two-minute intermission. Questions are read aloud by a moderator. Any player can buzz in to answer a toss-up question. Points are awarded for a correct answer, and the team can then answer a bonus question. At the end of the match, the team with the most points wins. BPA employees and representatives from local agencies serve as judges, moderators, timekeepers and scorekeepers.
The costs
There is no registration fee. All teams will be provided a T-shirt, breakfast and lunch on competition day.
The awards
Trophies are awarded to the top three teams, with each player receiving an individual award.
The winning team advances to the National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C.
|
Education
