How do you organize a Science Bowl?

<p>I've contacted lots of schools in my area (we're not in the states) and there are some schools who are interested. </p>

<p>The reason why I'm interested in making a science bowl is because I can't enter the one science bowl that I've found (US DOE's Science Bowl). So here's my questions: </p>

<p>1) Is there actually an international science bowl out there? (By science bowl I mean a science quiz team answering questions as well as doing hands-on competitions like you are required to build something given some materials) </p>

<p>2) If not, what does it take to organize a science bowl? I can maybe get the science teachers in my school to write questions, but that doesn't really happen in a "normal" science bowl right? </p>

<p>I'm part of the science club and part of the club is raising awareness. I've come down to helping out students in my school with science, and maybe some fundraisers. But a competition would definitely boost the club's interests! It'll be very cool I think.</p>

<p>You could try to organize a science olympiad. Check out this link and click on how to start a team. Good luck. [Home</a> Page | Science Olympiad](<a href=“http://soinc.org/]Home”>http://soinc.org/)</p>

<p>can schools not in the states enter?</p>

<p>I don’t know - if it doesn’t say on the link, you could contact the organizers and ask. Or you could even contact DOE and ask if they know of any similar events in your part of the world.</p>

<p>blah i wish we could enter. </p>

<p>how hard is it to organize a science bowl? i mean how much harder does it get than getting interested schools, the teachers to write the questions and then to find a host school and have the tournament?</p>

<p>My daughter has participated in science bowls at both middle & high school levels for 5 or 6 years now. To run it right, in addition to finding people to write questions and the other things you mentioned, you need quite a few other people… for each team vs. team round, you will need an official to read the questions; a time-keeper who will ensure that teams answer within the time limit allotted; a knowledgeable science person to judge whether answers given - if not exactly as written on the answer sheet - can be accepted as correct; a person to keep track of the scores during the competition…</p>

<p>At an official DOE science bowl, there are at all times 5 officials in the room. The competition is done in a small room for a number of reasons, but they especially like to keep it totally quiet and make sure no one else present is whispering answers…</p>

<p>Hope that helps.</p>

<p>That helps a lot. I know that if I can convince my school’s activities director to let us host a Science Quiz Bowl then I’ll be able to find just the right people for timekeeping and everything. </p>

<p>My major obstacles are these: </p>

<p>1) Finding more schools interested
2) Allowing our school to host
3) Make sure teachers are interested. </p>

<p>Then all we got to do is get the teachers to write the questions. Its almost always easier said than done =P. </p>

<p>**Do you know if there are any part of the science bowls that is not on paper? (i.e. a team has to make something or make something happen) **</p>

<p>The middle school science bowl has a separate competition for building a hydrogen fuel cell car. The car that stays in its lane and finishes fastest wins. No such competition for high school.</p>

<p>thank you for answering all these questions! Also the science club may want to open an after-school activity with nearby elementary/middle schools. </p>

<p>We might want to show them various experiments that are very “eye-catching” and then explain to them why. Then let them discover unique things on their own. My concern is their safety, because with any lab there’s the issue of safety. </p>

<p>This is slightly unrelated to the science bowl, but you heard of any science clubs doing this? (This is part of our attempt to raise awareness) </p>

<p>ALSO do you have any experience regarding how a science bowl team can “train”? I think this can be something our club can do as well.</p>

<p>The DOE science bowl questions are written by scientists at national labs. </p>

<p>Here’s a website with many rounds of practice questions. </p>

<p>[New</a> England Science Bowl Home Page - Practice Questions](<a href=“http://www.brown.edu/Students/Brown_University_Science_Bowl/practice.html]New”>http://www.brown.edu/Students/Brown_University_Science_Bowl/practice.html)</p>

<p>uh oh. i think the most i can get are science teachers to write them up!</p>

<p>OKAY i’ve got about 7 schools interested. More are coming in but they’re all asking me whether its feasible to get on this school year. – is it?</p>

<p>**Has anyone organized a Science Bowl before? **</p>

<p>I think the easier part would be getting the science teachers in my school to you know, participate. </p>

<p>Another easy part is getting the people to actually monitor it on the actual day. The officials, timekeepers, and science teachers who read the question. </p>

<p>The harder part would be for the activities director in my school to agree to host such an event. Potentially there could be 14-15 teams (perhaps some for division A and another for division B)… and then that would mean that we’d need homestays to make sure that people can do it.</p>

<p>**HOW HARD are the questions in the US DOE’s Science Bowl? **</p>

<p>For example, for a student who took AP Chem and got 800 on SAT Chem. H/she would be able to answer what % of all the chem questions? </p>

<p>What about AP Bio student w/ 800 on SAT Bio E/M?</p>

<p>^ how hard are the questions please??</p>

<p>Why don’t you look at the sample questions?</p>

<p>^ those have to be bought… unless there are free sample questions? </p>

<p>Is the format multiple choice and then short answer (quiz-team style, like whichever team answers first gets the points?)</p>

<p>Here’s a link from the official science bowl website on how to start your own science bowl.</p>

<p>[Rules</a> and Resources](<a href=“http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/nsb/hs/Rules_Forms_Resources.htm]Rules”>http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/nsb/hs/Rules_Forms_Resources.htm)</p>

<p>Thanks. so these sample questions are representative of the types of questions that go through the entire tournament? </p>

<p>In other words, there are only tossups and 1 bonus for each, throughout the tournament? </p>

<p>no special lightning round or something? just a lot of rounds with 1 tossup and maybe 1 bonus? </p>

<p>thaanks</p>

<p>Yes - that’s the way it’s run. No lightening round. But the scores can change rapidly because of the penalty for wrong answers in part of the competition. If you answer incorrectly, you subtract 10 points, your competitors then get a chance at the question and a bonus question. Also, pay attention to the rules for a “blurt”; answering before the complete question is read.</p>

<p>Haha sounds great. I hope this really is the science club’s big thing in our region. Our school’s science club pretty much doesn’t do much. Its hard keeping members there.</p>