Are felsic rocks silicate-rich or silicate-poor? Who discovered nitrogen?
Those are the kinds of questions area high school students will face Saturday, Feb. 7, when they compete in the eighth annual Science Bowl hosted by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Ames Laboratory and the Institute for Physical Research and Technology (IPRT) at Iowa State University.
Teams representing 40 high schools will meet in the quiz-type competition beginning at 8 a.m. in ISU’s Memorial Union. The winning team will earn an all-expenses-paid trip to Maryland in May to compete in the DOE’s National Science Bowl. Last year’s regional winner was Valley High School from West Des Moines.
The goal of the competition is to encourage and reward students who excel in science and math. Each team consists of four players and one alternate accompanied by a teacher who acts as coach. Throughout the competition, students are asked multiple-choice and short-answer questions in biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, earth science, computer science and math.
"Many of the schools who compete come back year after year," says Steve Karsjen, Science Bowl coordinator, "which says a lot about the importance placed on science and math in our schools and the significance of our event in recognizing the hard work students put into their studies."
Most of the competitors spend weeks training for the event, poring over information on topics such as felsic rocks (which are silicate-rich) and the discoverer of nitrogen (Daniel Rutherford).
Andrew Kilborn, an ISU sophomore in industrial technology who competed in the 1994 and 1996 Science Bowls for Green Mountain-Garwin High School, remembers spending three mornings each week practicing for the event with his team.
"It’s a really great way to meet people who have the same interests as you and have fun while you’re doing it," Kilborn says. "In my classes at Iowa State, I’ve meet at least three people who were on teams we competed against."
Kilborn is one of 60 volunteers from the Ames Lab, IPRT and ISU’s College of Engineering, College of Education and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences who will act as scorekeepers, moderators and judges for the event.
Kilborn, who will act as a scorekeeper, looks forward to a day filled with exciting matches. "I’m sure I’ll feel the tension," he adds.
Regional competitions like the one in Ames will be held throughout the country in February and March. The 45 winning teams will compete May1-4 in the National Science Bowl in Chevy Chase, Md.
Ames Laboratory is a member of IPRT and is operated for the DOE by ISU. The Lab conducts research in various areas of national concern, including energy resources, high-speed computer design, environmental cleanup and restoration, and the synthesis and study of new materials.
Following is a list of the teams scheduled to compete in the 1998 Ames Lab/IPRT Science Bowl (teams are listed in alphabetical order; all schools are from Iowa unless otherwise noted):
1.Abraham Lincoln High School, Council Bluffs
2.Ackley-Geneva High School, Ackley
3.Ames High School, Ames
4.Ankeny High School, Ankeny
5.Brooklyn-Guernsey-Malcolm High School, Brooklyn
6.Cedar Falls High School, Cedar Falls
7.Central High School, DeWitt
8.Central Academy, Des Moines
9.Chariton High School, Chariton
10.Clear Lake High School, Clear Lake
11.Clinton High School, Clinton
12.Creston High School, Creston
13.Dallas Center-Grimes High School, Dallas Center
14.East High School, Sioux City
15.East Greene High School, Grand Junction
16.Fort Dodge High School, Fort Dodge
17.Greenfield High School, Greenfield
18.Hoover High School, Des Moines
19.Humboldt High School, Humboldt
20.Iowa City West High School, Iowa City
21.John F. Kennedy High School, Cedar Rapids
22.Manson-Northwest-Webster High School, Manson
23.Marion High School, Marion
24.Mount Pleasant High School, Mount Pleasant
25.North High School, Des Moines
26.North Scott High School, Eldridge
27.Ogden High School, Ogden
28.Orient-Macksburg Community High School, Orient
29.Pella Community High School, Pella
30.Regina High School, Regina
31.Riceville High School, Riceville
32.Roland-Story High School, Story City
33.Saint Albert High School, Council Bluffs
34.Saint Edmond High School, Fort Dodge
35.South Hamilton High School, Jewell
36.Stoughton High School, Stoughton, Wis.
37.Valley High School, West Des Moines
38.West Bend Mallard High School, West Bend
39.Western Christian High School, Hull
40.Winterset High School, Winterset
Release date: Jan. 20, 1998
Contact: Susan Dieterle, 515-294-1405, dieterle@ameslab.gov
Last revision: 4/17/98 sd