By Cynthia Lu:
In the world of high school science, there are science research papers, science olympiad exams —and then there is Science Bowl—a team-based competition with eight-minute rounds of rapid-fire questions that leave no time to overthink or regret, sponsored by the U.S. government’s Department of Energy. The formal topics are chemistry, physics, earth and space, math, and biology, and in the real competition, this can translate into questions that are as general as the Sun to as specific as the identifying characteristics of coelacanths. Team members usually specialize in certain topics, though there is often overlap, and sometimes it comes down to bravery rather than concrete knowledge.
It is an experience that places you acutely in the present—four pairs of eyes locked on the red LED timer at the front of the room, fingers poised over the buzzer, feeling everything from the sinking disappointment of other team buzzes in first to the desperate, eager hope of a last-second guess. The points pile up surprisingly fast on the scoresheet, and as we played more and more rounds from morning to afternoon, it was rewarding to see this piling up happen under our team name rather than the opponents’.
Despite our lack of experience and coming in with few high expectations, we held our own against schools from all over the Northeast—even making it to the Wild Card semifinals. We might not have taken home the Bowl this year, but it was a whole lot of fun.
For younger students harboring scientific aspirations, we invite you to try out for the team next year! The competition is at once a nerve-wracking individual effort and a fulfilling, collaborative accomplishment. Practices similar to the format of the real competition will be held weekly, and will even feature our own unique buzzer system.
Fun fact: If you hear a thunderclap 15 seconds after seeing the lightning bolt, the storm is approximately 3 miles away.