Iowa High school science bowl

2022 Virtual Iowa Regional High School and Middle School Science Bowl

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, variant data and concerns about the health and safety of studnts, staff and volunteers, the 2022 Iowa Regional High School and Middle School Science Bowl events will be held virtually.

High School
– Preliminary/elimination rounds to be conducted (via Zoom) on or before Jan. 29

Middle School
– Preliminary/elimination rounds to be conducted (via Zoom) on or before Feb. 19

About 
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science National Science Bowl® (NSB) is a nationwide academic competition that tests students’ knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics. Middle and high school student teams from diverse backgrounds are comprised of five students and a teacher who serves as an advisor and coach. Teams compete in a fast-paced question-and-answer format, being tested on a range of science disciplines including biology, chemistry, earth and space science, physics, energy, and math.                                               

The Department of Energy created the National Science Bowl® in 1991 to encourage students to excel in mathematics and science and to pursue careers in these fields. More than 325,000 students have participated in the National Science Bowl® throughout its 31-year history, and it is one of the nation’s largest science competitions. Beginning in January each year, more than 9,000 high school students and 5,000 middle school students will compete in 65 high school and 50 middle school regional Science Bowl tournaments.            

The winning team from each regional competition is invited to participate in the National Finals. The teams representing each regional, both middle and high school, will compete in the 2022 National Finals, held April 28 - May 2, 2022, in Leesburg, Virginia.

NOTE: The winning teams from the virtual events will be invited to the National Finals, where they will then follow the “in-person” rules.

The Cost
There is no registration fee for the Iowa Regional Science Bowl events.

How to Register 

“School” Pre-registration opens October 1 at 11:00 AM CST. Coaches log-in to existing or create new accounts. This pre-registration will secure one spot for your school. Student names/information are not entered into the system at this time.

Coaches will agree to follow eligibility requirements outlined in the rules AND coaches will agree to everything in the former “Adult Consent and Media Form” eliminating the need for a separate form.

Coaches can also identify a co-coach, who will receive an email to set-up their account. Both the coach and co-coach will be able to access, input, and edit team information.

Beginning October 19, schools will be approved by the Iowa Regional host.  The approved schools can then start building their teams in the registration system.

Things to Consider When Building Your Team
Teams are made up of 5 students and teacher or TAG coordinator who serves as an advisor and coach. All 5 team members compete together. No substitution or breaks once the round begins.  

Students must be enrolled for the current school year as follows:
High School – grades 9, 10, 11 or 12
Middle School – grades 6, 7 or 8

High School
Due to the virtual format, only one team per school will be allowed to participate.
Event Limit:
  32 schools (first-come, first served basis)
Registration Link:  High School

Between pre-registration approval and December 15 at 11:59 pm local time, the coach must submit their Full Team registration.  If the coach does not submit the Full Team registration BEFORE December 16, the school loses its reserved space.  

Middle School
Due to the virtual format, only one team per school will be allowed to participate.
Event Limit:
  24 schools (first come, first-served basis)
Registration Link:  Middle School

Between pre-registration approval and December 15 at 11:59 pm local time, the coach must submit their Full Team registration.  If the coach does not submit the Full Team registration BEFORE December 16, the school loses its reserved space.  

Navigating the Registration Process

What does it mean to successfully SUBMIT a team registration before December 16?

In order to be placed on a roster for Iowa’s 2022 events, each coach must gather from each participant:
- First and last name
- Gender
- Grade
- Birth month/year
- Student’s home Zip Code
- T-shirt size
- Citizenship
- Parental consent / media release form

To summarize:
Step 1: Coaches submit pre-registration to guarantee one spot for the school
Step 2: Regional Coordinator approves the school’s pre-registration
Step 3: Coaches gather information for each student participant (including signed parental consent/media release forms), enter everything onto the registration dashboard and submits their full registration before December 16

After December 16:
Coaches that successfully submit full team registrations will be contacted by the Iowa Regional Coordinators. Coaches will be invited to a virtual training session and will get the opportunity to schedule a one-hour time slot for two preliminary rounds. Daytime, evening and weekend time slots will be available. Competition times will be confirmed with a Zoom invitation which contains the link for students and coaches to join.

High School preliminary rounds start on or around January 17 (actual starting date will be determined by the number of teams on the roster). The teams that advance to the elimination rounds will compete on Saturday, January 29, with a regional high school winner announced that day.

Middle School preliminary rounds start on or around February 7. Teams that advance to elimination rounds will compete on Saturday, February 19, with a regional middle school winner announced that day.


All fully registered teams will be asked to put a hold on their elimination round date (High School is January 29; Middle School is February 19). Tools will be available for coachaes to monitor their teams' placement throughout the preliminary round process. 

During the Preliminary Rounds, each individual team will be read the entire set of questions for two rounds. Teams with the highest combined point totals from the preliminary rounds will advance to the Elimination Tournament.

Elimination Round Scores start over with each new round (only the preliminary rounds are cumulative.) Top-scoring teams from each round will continue onto the final rounds. 

More information for coaches will be provided at their virtual training sessions.

How to Prepare

Teams will not play head-to-head matches in a virtual regional. Instead, teams are competing against all of the other teams.

There will only be ONE team in each Zoom “room”.

Study:
Science Bowl questions cover a variety of topics: biology, chemistry, math, physics, earth and space sciences and energy. 

Sample Practice Questions

Coaching “Tips and Resources” 

Virtual Tournament Format:
The “Competition Structure” will be similar to the 2021 virtual events.  
2021 Official Rules.