Science Bowl
Encyclopedia
Science Bowl is a high school
and middle school
academic competition, similar to Quiz Bowl, held in the United States
. Two teams of four students each compete to answer various science
-related questions. In order to determine which student has the right to answer the question, a buzzer system
is used, similar to those seen on popular television game show
s such as Jeopardy!
. The National Science Bowl (NSB) has been organized and sponsored by the United States Department of Energy
since the competition's inception in 1991.
topic has been added to the subject categories. Additionally, Earth Science
and Astronomy
have been combined into "Earth and Space Science", and General Science has been eliminated for high school. High school questions are now asked in the categories entitled Chemistry
, Biology
, Physics
, Mathematics
, Energy
, and "Earth and Space Science". Middle school questions are asked in the categories Physical Science, Life Science, Mathematics, Energy, General Science, and Earth and Space Science. In late 2002, Computer Science
was dropped as an official category; questions relating to computer science are now asked under Mathematics. The National Science Bowl organization announced the addition of a category for Current Events for the 2005 National Competition, though this category was dropped for the 2006 and 2007 National Competitions.
Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland
.
The winning team of each regional Science Bowl competition is invited to participate in the National Science Bowl all expenses paid. There are a number of regional competitions all over the United States; the exact number changes from year to year. For example, in 2006 there were 65 regionals, while in 2004 there were 64 regionals, and in 2003 there were 66 regionals. These figures count as two separate regionals the few "superregional" sites that are permitted to send two teams to the national competition (e.g. the Kansas City/St. Louis regional competitions).
Typically, any high school that meets the eligibility rules of the National Science Bowl competition is permitted to register for any regional competition in the country, but no high school or student group may compete in multiple regionals. In addition, some regional competitions permit schools to register multiple teams. Teams composed entirely of homeschooled
students are also permitted to enter; a perennial qualifier to the national competition is the Edmond Home Cooperative from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Two teams compete against each other in each match. Each match has at most 25 questions (that is, 25 toss-ups and 25 corresponding bonuses). The match is over when all the toss-up questions have been read (and any bonuses related to correctly answered toss-ups), or after two halves have elapsed, whichever occurs first. The team with the most points at this time is the winner. The half length varies, even throughout the national tournament; this year, halves for the preliminary (round robin) rounds and the first rounds of the playoffs were 10 minutes long, and halves for the final rounds were 12 minutes long (to account for the visual bonuses).
An answer given by a student is ruled correct or incorrect by the moderator. On short answer questions, if the answer given differs from the official one, the moderator uses his or her judgment to make a ruling (which is subject to a challenge by the competitors). On multiple choice questions, the answer given by the student is only correct if it matches the official answer exactly. Alternatively, the student may give the letter choice that corresponds to the correct answer. Although A, B, C, and D were once used as answer choice letters, W, X, Y, and Z are now favored due to a lower chance of confusion.
Visual bonuses were introduced in 2003. They are only included in the final elimination rounds. The team has 20 seconds to answer a question with the aid of a visual displayed on a 19-inch monitor (for the third-place and first-place games) or on a distributed worksheet (for earlier playoff games).
The same rules apply to the judging of responses to bonus questions as apply to responses to toss-up questions. Once the team's answer has been ruled right or wrong, the moderator proceeds to the next toss-up question.
If neither team answers the toss-up question correctly, the bonus question is not read, and the moderator proceeds to the next toss-up question.
A correct response on a bonus question earns 10 points, making the total possible score on a single question 18 points (4 for a correct answer, 4 for an incorrect interruption by the other team, and 10 for the bonus), and a perfect score 450 points. Against an opponent who never buzzes in (often the better approximation), the maximum (perfect) score is 350 points. Any score above 200 is exceptional, and any score above 300 is extremely rare.
The national competition always consists of two stages: round robin and double elimination.
groups of eight or nine teams each. Every team plays every other team in its group once, receiving 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, or 0 points for a loss. The top two teams from each group advance to the double elimination round.
In previous rules, there were several tiebreak procedures, applied in the following order:
In years before that, there was no DTC, so the following procedure was used in its place:
If a tie still existed after this procedure, it is reapplied until the tie is resolved. These last rules are still used for the Middle School competition
.
. Seeding continued in the 2007 tournament: teams that won their pool were paired against teams that placed second in theirs. Unlike in the round robin, a match in double elimination cannot be tied. If a match is tied at the end of regulation, overtime periods of five questions each are played until the tie is broken.
The elimination tournament produces a first-place, second-place, third-place and fourth-place team. Except for the 2006 tournament, a double-elimination tournament
format has been used. This allowed a fifth place to be added. The tournament reverted to a double-elimination format for the 2007 tournament, without a fifth place match.
sponsors NSB and furnishes graphing calculators as prizes for the members of the top five teams. General Motors is also a regular sponsor of the event, and has in recent years sponsored the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car competition held at NSB, where 16 teams compete to build the fastest or most powerful fuel cell
-powered miniature car. IBM
and Bechtel also sponsor the NSB.
The top four teams (out of 68) at the 2010 National Science Bowl were
The top four teams (out of 67) at the 2009 National Science Bowl were
The full double elimination bracket for the 2009 tournament is shown below:
The top four teams (out of 67) at the 2008 National Science Bowl were
The top four teams (out of 64) at the 2007 National Science Bowl were
The top four teams (out of 65) at the 2006 National Science Bowl were
The top five teams (out of 63) at the 2005 National Science Bowl were
The top five teams (out of 64) at the 2004 National Science Bowl were
The full double elimination bracket from the 2004 competition is shown below. The bracket was unseeded (as in most years), i.e. positions in the draw were chosen randomly among qualifying teams. Red numbers are not seed numbers, but match numbers to be used for reference in the bottom half of the bracket (the loser's bracket).
The top five teams (out of 66) at the 2003 National Science Bowl were
The full double elimination bracket from the 2003 competition is shown below. The bracket was unseeded (as in most years), i.e. positions in the draw were chosen randomly among qualifying teams. Red numbers are not seed numbers, but match numbers to be used for reference in the bottom half of the bracket (the loser's bracket).
The top five teams (out of 64) at the 2002 National Science Bowl were
The winning teams from the years 1991-2001 (number of teams participating in parentheses):
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
academic competition, similar to Quiz Bowl, held in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Two teams of four students each compete to answer various science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
-related questions. In order to determine which student has the right to answer the question, a buzzer system
Buzzer
A buzzer or beeper is an audio signaling device, which may be mechanical, electromechanical, or piezoelectric. Typical uses of buzzers and beepers include alarm devices, timers and confirmation of user input such as a mouse click or keystroke....
is used, similar to those seen on popular television game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
s such as Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
. The National Science Bowl (NSB) has been organized and sponsored by the United States Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
since the competition's inception in 1991.
Subject areas
For the 2011 Science Bowl, a new energyEnergy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
topic has been added to the subject categories. Additionally, Earth Science
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
and Astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
have been combined into "Earth and Space Science", and General Science has been eliminated for high school. High school questions are now asked in the categories entitled Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, Energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
, and "Earth and Space Science". Middle school questions are asked in the categories Physical Science, Life Science, Mathematics, Energy, General Science, and Earth and Space Science. In late 2002, Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
was dropped as an official category; questions relating to computer science are now asked under Mathematics. The National Science Bowl organization announced the addition of a category for Current Events for the 2005 National Competition, though this category was dropped for the 2006 and 2007 National Competitions.
Regional competitions
Each year, in late April or early May, the National Science Bowl competition is held in Washington, DC. Since the mid-nineties, the competition has been hosted by the National 4-H4-H
4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture , with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents...
Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...
.
The winning team of each regional Science Bowl competition is invited to participate in the National Science Bowl all expenses paid. There are a number of regional competitions all over the United States; the exact number changes from year to year. For example, in 2006 there were 65 regionals, while in 2004 there were 64 regionals, and in 2003 there were 66 regionals. These figures count as two separate regionals the few "superregional" sites that are permitted to send two teams to the national competition (e.g. the Kansas City/St. Louis regional competitions).
Typically, any high school that meets the eligibility rules of the National Science Bowl competition is permitted to register for any regional competition in the country, but no high school or student group may compete in multiple regionals. In addition, some regional competitions permit schools to register multiple teams. Teams composed entirely of homeschooled
Homeschooling
Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
students are also permitted to enter; a perennial qualifier to the national competition is the Edmond Home Cooperative from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Rules
This section is concerned with the rules of the national competition. The rules of regional competitions vary greatly. There are very few prescribed rules for regional competitions. Some regionals are run nearly identically to the national competition, while others use variations of the rules or different methods of scoring.General rules
A team consists of four or five students from a single high school. Only four students play at any one time, while the fifth is designated as the alternate. Substitutions may be made at halftime and between rounds.Toss-ups
Every match begins with a toss-up question. The moderator announces the subject of the question (see "Subject Areas" above), as well as its type (Multiple Choice or Short Answer). Once the moderator completes the reading of the question, students have five seconds to buzz in and give an answer. Students may buzz in at any time after the category has been read—there is no need to wait for the moderator to finish. However, there is a penalty for interrupting the moderator and giving an incorrect answer. Once a student from a team has buzzed in, that team may not buzz in again on that question. Conferring between members of a team is not allowed on toss-up questions; if conferring occurs on a question, the team is disallowed from answering that question. The rules regarding conferring are typically very strict: excessive noise, eye contact, or even noticeable shifts in position can be considered conferring, as they convey information to teammates.An answer given by a student is ruled correct or incorrect by the moderator. On short answer questions, if the answer given differs from the official one, the moderator uses his or her judgment to make a ruling (which is subject to a challenge by the competitors). On multiple choice questions, the answer given by the student is only correct if it matches the official answer exactly. Alternatively, the student may give the letter choice that corresponds to the correct answer. Although A, B, C, and D were once used as answer choice letters, W, X, Y, and Z are now favored due to a lower chance of confusion.
Bonuses
If a student answers a toss-up question correctly, that student's team receives a bonus question. The bonus question is always in the same category as the corresponding toss-up question. Since only that team has the opportunity to answer the bonus question, there is no need to buzz in to answer it. After the moderator finishes reading the question, the team has 20 seconds to answer. Conferring between team members is permitted, but the designated team captain must give the team's final answer.Visual bonuses were introduced in 2003. They are only included in the final elimination rounds. The team has 20 seconds to answer a question with the aid of a visual displayed on a 19-inch monitor (for the third-place and first-place games) or on a distributed worksheet (for earlier playoff games).
The same rules apply to the judging of responses to bonus questions as apply to responses to toss-up questions. Once the team's answer has been ruled right or wrong, the moderator proceeds to the next toss-up question.
If neither team answers the toss-up question correctly, the bonus question is not read, and the moderator proceeds to the next toss-up question.
Scoring
Correct responses to toss-up questions are worth 4 points each. If a student buzzes in on a toss-up question before the moderator has completely read the question (i.e., interrupts the moderator) and responds incorrectly, 4 points are awarded to the opposing team, and the question is re-read in its entirety so that the opposing team has an opportunity to buzz in.A correct response on a bonus question earns 10 points, making the total possible score on a single question 18 points (4 for a correct answer, 4 for an incorrect interruption by the other team, and 10 for the bonus), and a perfect score 450 points. Against an opponent who never buzzes in (often the better approximation), the maximum (perfect) score is 350 points. Any score above 200 is exceptional, and any score above 300 is extremely rare.
Competition format
This section is concerned with the format of the national competition only. As is the case with competition rules, the competition format varies greatly among the different regional competitions.The national competition always consists of two stages: round robin and double elimination.
Round-robin
All competing teams are randomly arranged into several round-robinRound-robin
The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...
groups of eight or nine teams each. Every team plays every other team in its group once, receiving 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, or 0 points for a loss. The top two teams from each group advance to the double elimination round.
Tiebreaks
In the event that two or more teams are tied for one of the top spots in a round robin group, the result of the Division Team Challenge (DTC) is used as a tiebreak.In previous rules, there were several tiebreak procedures, applied in the following order:
- The head-to-head record of all the tied teams is compared. The team(s) with the best record against the other tied teams win(s) the tiebreak.
- The team(s) with the fewest losses win(s) the tiebreak.
- The result of the Division Team Challenge (DTC) is used. The DTC is a lab-based activity where up to five team members worked together to solve a challenge in 15 minutes using the materials provided. The time for the DTC was extended to 30 minutes for 2008.
In years before that, there was no DTC, so the following procedure was used in its place:
- If more than two teams are still tied, each team is placed in a separate room and is read ten toss-up questions. Each team's score is determined by the number of questions answered correctly minus the number answered incorrectly. The team(s) with the highest score win(s) the tiebreak.
- If exactly two teams are still tied, the two teams compete head-to-head, receiving five toss-up questions (no bonus questions are used). All the usual toss-up rules are in effect, including the interrupt penalty. The team with the higher score wins the tiebreak.
If a tie still existed after this procedure, it is reapplied until the tie is resolved. These last rules are still used for the Middle School competition
National Middle School Science Bowl
The National Middle School Science Bowl is a middle school academic competition, similar to Quiz Bowl, held in the United States. Two teams of four students each compete to answer various science-related questions...
.
Single/Double elimination
Approximately 16 teams advance from the round robin (depending on the number of round robin groups). In 2004 and 2007, exactly 16 teams advanced, while in 2003 and 2002, 18 teams advanced. In 2006, the teams were seeded into a single-elimination tournament based on their preliminary round-robin results. In previous years, a team's position in the double-elimination tournament was determined by random draw; teams were not seeded in any way. The competition then proceeded (in 2006) like a typical single-elimination tournamentSingle-elimination tournament
A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
. Seeding continued in the 2007 tournament: teams that won their pool were paired against teams that placed second in theirs. Unlike in the round robin, a match in double elimination cannot be tied. If a match is tied at the end of regulation, overtime periods of five questions each are played until the tie is broken.
The elimination tournament produces a first-place, second-place, third-place and fourth-place team. Except for the 2006 tournament, a double-elimination tournament
Double-elimination tournament
A double-elimination tournament is a type of elimination tournament competition in which a participant ceases to be eligible to win the tournament's championship upon having lost two games or matches...
format has been used. This allowed a fifth place to be added. The tournament reverted to a double-elimination format for the 2007 tournament, without a fifth place match.
Other activities
In 2007, the NSB also had Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car race, a lab activity, and a scavenger hunt. The car race had two categories, one for speed and one for the ability to climb a steep slope. The scavenger hunt involved finding specified facts at tourist sites in Washington, D.C., which is near Chevy Chase.Sponsors
Several companies and organizations sponsor the National Science Bowl competition, the most prominent being the United States Department of Energy. Texas InstrumentsTexas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
sponsors NSB and furnishes graphing calculators as prizes for the members of the top five teams. General Motors is also a regular sponsor of the event, and has in recent years sponsored the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car competition held at NSB, where 16 teams compete to build the fastest or most powerful fuel cell
Fuel cell
A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used...
-powered miniature car. IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
and Bechtel also sponsor the NSB.
Results of the national competition
The top four teams (out of 69) at the 2011 National Science Bowl were- Mira Loma High SchoolMira Loma High SchoolMira Loma High School is a public high school located in Sacramento, California, United States. It is the one of the most reputable and best high schools in Sacramento, consistently being ranked as one of the best schools in the area. It is a part of the San Juan Unified School District with a...
(Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, CaliforniaSacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
) - Montgomery Blair High SchoolMontgomery Blair High SchoolMontgomery Blair High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States...
(Silver Spring, MarylandSilver Spring, MarylandSilver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
) - Sunset High SchoolSunset High SchoolSunset High School is the name of several high schools in the United States:*Sunset High School *Sunset High School *Sunset High School...
(Portland, OregonPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
) - Hunter College High SchoolHunter College High SchoolHunter College High School is a New York City secondary school for intellectually gifted students located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It is administered by Hunter College, a senior college of the City University of New York. Although it is not operated by the New York City Department of...
(New York City, New York)
The top four teams (out of 68) at the 2010 National Science Bowl were
- North Carolina School of Science and MathematicsNorth Carolina School of Science and MathematicsThe North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is a two-year, public residential high school located in Durham, North Carolina, that focuses on the intensive study of science, mathematics and technology. The school accepts rising juniors from across North Carolina and enrolls them through...
(Durham, North CarolinaDurham, North CarolinaDurham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
) - Mira Loma High SchoolMira Loma High SchoolMira Loma High School is a public high school located in Sacramento, California, United States. It is the one of the most reputable and best high schools in Sacramento, consistently being ranked as one of the best schools in the area. It is a part of the San Juan Unified School District with a...
(Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, CaliforniaSacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
) - North Hollywood High SchoolNorth Hollywood High SchoolNorth Hollywood High School, originally called Lankershim High School when it opened in 1927, is a secondary school in North Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. The school mascot is the husky, and the school colors are blue, white and grey....
(North Hollywood, California) - Arcadia High School (Arcadia, California)Arcadia High School (Arcadia, California)Arcadia High School is a part of the Arcadia Unified School District and is a four-year comprehensive secondary school located on a site in Arcadia, California. Their motto is"Our Caring Makes a Difference."...
The top four teams (out of 67) at the 2009 National Science Bowl were
- Mira Loma High SchoolMira Loma High SchoolMira Loma High School is a public high school located in Sacramento, California, United States. It is the one of the most reputable and best high schools in Sacramento, consistently being ranked as one of the best schools in the area. It is a part of the San Juan Unified School District with a...
(Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, CaliforniaSacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
) - Lexington High SchoolLexington High School (Massachusetts)Lexington High School is a public high school located in Lexington, Massachusetts, United States. It teaches grades 9-12. The school's mascot is the Minuteman.In 2008 it was ranked by the Boston Globe as one of the top three high schools in the state....
(Lexington, MassachusettsLexington, MassachusettsLexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...
) - Oak Ridge High SchoolOak Ridge High School (Oak Ridge, Tennessee)Oak Ridge High School is the public high school for Oak Ridge, Tennessee, enrolling grades 9 through 12. It was established in 1943 to educate the children of Manhattan Project workers. It currently has about 1500 students.-Founding and first location:...
(Oak Ridge, TennesseeOak Ridge, TennesseeOak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
) - Santa Monica High SchoolSanta Monica High SchoolSanta Monica High School, informally known as SAMOHI, is located in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1884, it is one of the oldest high schools in the state....
(Santa Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
)
The full double elimination bracket for the 2009 tournament is shown below:
The top four teams (out of 67) at the 2008 National Science Bowl were
- Santa Monica High SchoolSanta Monica High SchoolSanta Monica High School, informally known as SAMOHI, is located in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1884, it is one of the oldest high schools in the state....
(Santa Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
) - Mira Loma High SchoolMira Loma High SchoolMira Loma High School is a public high school located in Sacramento, California, United States. It is the one of the most reputable and best high schools in Sacramento, consistently being ranked as one of the best schools in the area. It is a part of the San Juan Unified School District with a...
(Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, CaliforniaSacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
) - Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and TechnologyThomas Jefferson High School for Science and TechnologyThomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Virginia state-chartered magnet school located within Fairfax County, Virginia, United States...
(Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria, VirginiaAlexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
) - Fairview High School (Boulder, ColoradoBoulder, ColoradoBoulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
)
The top four teams (out of 64) at the 2007 National Science Bowl were
- Poudre High SchoolPoudre High SchoolPoudre High School, located at 201 Impala Drive, Fort Collins, Colorado, is one of four public senior high schools in the Poudre School District. The school serves approximately 1,900 students, and has a staff of about 135 faculty...
(Fort Collins, ColoradoFort Collins, ColoradoFort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
) - State College Area High SchoolState College Area High SchoolState College Area High School is the only public high school in the State College Area School District. Located within walking distance of Penn State University, the school offers a wide and diverse selection of electives, and is known for its academic, athletic, and musical prominence.State High...
(State College, PennsylvaniaState College, PennsylvaniaState College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
) - East Chapel Hill High SchoolEast Chapel Hill High SchoolEast Chapel Hill High School is a public high school in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It is the second high school of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district which contains two other high schools, Chapel Hill High School and Carrboro High School. The school's principal is Eileen Tully, and...
(Chapel Hill, North CarolinaChapel Hill, North CarolinaChapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
) - Miami Palmetto Senior High School (Pinecrest, FloridaPinecrest, FloridaPinecrest is a suburban village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States of America. The population was 19,055 as of the census of 2000. Pinecrest is governed by a five-member Village Council and operates under the Council-Manager form of government....
)
The top four teams (out of 65) at the 2006 National Science Bowl were
- State College Area High SchoolState College Area High SchoolState College Area High School is the only public high school in the State College Area School District. Located within walking distance of Penn State University, the school offers a wide and diverse selection of electives, and is known for its academic, athletic, and musical prominence.State High...
(State College, PennsylvaniaState College, PennsylvaniaState College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
) - North Hollywood High SchoolNorth Hollywood High SchoolNorth Hollywood High School, originally called Lankershim High School when it opened in 1927, is a secondary school in North Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. The school mascot is the husky, and the school colors are blue, white and grey....
(North Hollywood, California) - Santa Monica High SchoolSanta Monica High SchoolSanta Monica High School, informally known as SAMOHI, is located in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1884, it is one of the oldest high schools in the state....
(Santa Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
) - Albany High School (Albany, CaliforniaAlbany, CaliforniaAlbany is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 18,539 at the 2010 census.-History:In 1908, a group of local women protested the dumping of Berkeley garbage in their community...
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The top five teams (out of 63) at the 2005 National Science Bowl were
- Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and TechnologyThomas Jefferson High School for Science and TechnologyThomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Virginia state-chartered magnet school located within Fairfax County, Virginia, United States...
(Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria, VirginiaAlexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
) - Mission San Jose High SchoolMission San Jose High SchoolMission San Jose High School , is a public, co-educational, four-year secondary school founded in 1964 and located in the Mission San Jose district of Fremont, California, United States...
(Fremont, CaliforniaFremont, CaliforniaFremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
) - George Walton Comprehensive High SchoolGeorge Walton Comprehensive High SchoolGeorge Walton Comprehensive High School, usually referred to simply as "Walton High School," is public high school located in suburban Marietta, Georgia in the United States. It resides in eastern Cobb County and is a charter school in the Cobb County School District. It is a School of Excellence...
(Marietta, GeorgiaMarietta, GeorgiaMarietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...
) - Miami Palmetto Senior High School (Pinecrest, FloridaPinecrest, FloridaPinecrest is a suburban village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States of America. The population was 19,055 as of the census of 2000. Pinecrest is governed by a five-member Village Council and operates under the Council-Manager form of government....
) - Thomas S. Wootton High School (Rockville, MarylandRockville, MarylandRockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
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The top five teams (out of 64) at the 2004 National Science Bowl were
- Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and TechnologyThomas Jefferson High School for Science and TechnologyThomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Virginia state-chartered magnet school located within Fairfax County, Virginia, United States...
(Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria, VirginiaAlexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
) - A&M Consolidated High SchoolA&M Consolidated High SchoolA&M Consolidated High School is a four-year public high school consisting of grades 9–12 located in College Station, Texas and is part of the College Station Independent School District.The family housing of Texas A&M University is zoned to this school....
(College Station, TexasCollege Station, TexasCollege Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
) - Baton Rouge Magnet High SchoolBaton Rouge Magnet High SchoolBaton Rouge Magnet High School is a magnet school in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was founded in the early 1890s. The current school building was built in 1928, and, as Baton Rouge High School, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986...
(Baton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
) - Montgomery Blair High SchoolMontgomery Blair High SchoolMontgomery Blair High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States...
(Silver Spring, MarylandSilver Spring, MarylandSilver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
) - North Hollywood High SchoolNorth Hollywood High SchoolNorth Hollywood High School, originally called Lankershim High School when it opened in 1927, is a secondary school in North Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. The school mascot is the husky, and the school colors are blue, white and grey....
(North Hollywood, California)
The full double elimination bracket from the 2004 competition is shown below. The bracket was unseeded (as in most years), i.e. positions in the draw were chosen randomly among qualifying teams. Red numbers are not seed numbers, but match numbers to be used for reference in the bottom half of the bracket (the loser's bracket).
- Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and TechnologyThomas Jefferson High School for Science and TechnologyThomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Virginia state-chartered magnet school located within Fairfax County, Virginia, United States...
(Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria, VirginiaAlexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
) - Centerville High SchoolCenterville High School (Centerville, Ohio)Centerville High School is a public school of secondary education for grades 9–12 located in Centerville, Ohio, situated ten miles south of Dayton...
(Centerville, OhioCenterville, Montgomery County, Ohio* Centerville City School District, Montgomery County, Ohio* Mad River Road* State Route 48* State Route 725-External links:* *...
) - A&M Consolidated High SchoolA&M Consolidated High SchoolA&M Consolidated High School is a four-year public high school consisting of grades 9–12 located in College Station, Texas and is part of the College Station Independent School District.The family housing of Texas A&M University is zoned to this school....
(College Station, TexasCollege Station, TexasCollege Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
) - Taylor Allderdice High SchoolTaylor Allderdice High SchoolTaylor Allderdice High School, also referred to by the Pittsburgh Public Schools as “Pittsburgh Allderdice” or informally by students as "Dice", is a public high school located in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh’s East End. Allderdice is the "largest of the Pittsburgh Public Schools'...
(Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
) - Cincinnati Country Day SchoolCincinnati Country Day SchoolCincinnati Country Day School is a private, Independent School located in Indian Hill, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati....
(Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, OhioCincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
)
The full double elimination bracket from the 2003 competition is shown below. The bracket was unseeded (as in most years), i.e. positions in the draw were chosen randomly among qualifying teams. Red numbers are not seed numbers, but match numbers to be used for reference in the bottom half of the bracket (the loser's bracket).
- Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and TechnologyThomas Jefferson High School for Science and TechnologyThomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Virginia state-chartered magnet school located within Fairfax County, Virginia, United States...
(Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria, VirginiaAlexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
) - Boulder High SchoolBoulder High SchoolBoulder High School is a high school in Boulder, Colorado. It is a part of the Boulder Valley School District.-History:Boulder High School was founded in 1875 as part of the University of Colorado at Boulder as a preparatory school for the University...
(Boulder, ColoradoBoulder, ColoradoBoulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
) - Mission San Jose High SchoolMission San Jose High SchoolMission San Jose High School , is a public, co-educational, four-year secondary school founded in 1964 and located in the Mission San Jose district of Fremont, California, United States...
(Fremont, CaliforniaFremont, CaliforniaFremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
) (note: this is the correct spelling of Fremont. The NSB website gives "Freemont".) - Sycamore High SchoolSycamore High SchoolSycamore High School can mean:*Sycamore High School — Sycamore, Georgia*Sycamore High School *Sycamore High School *Sycamore High School — Pleasant View, Tennessee...
(Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, OhioCincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
) - Hanford High SchoolHanford High SchoolHanford High School is located on the northern edge of Richland, Washington. The school's mascot is the Falcon, and its school colors are purple and gold....
(Richland, WashingtonRichland, WashingtonRichland is a city in Benton County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, at the confluence of the Yakima and the Columbia Rivers. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 48,058. April 1, 2011 estimates from the Washington State Office of Financial Management put the...
)
The winning teams from the years 1991-2001 (number of teams participating in parentheses):
- 2001 (61 teams) North Hollywood High SchoolNorth Hollywood High SchoolNorth Hollywood High School, originally called Lankershim High School when it opened in 1927, is a secondary school in North Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. The school mascot is the husky, and the school colors are blue, white and grey....
(North Hollywood, California) - 2000 (60 teams) duPont Manual High SchoolDuPont Manual Magnet High SchoolduPont Manual High School is a public magnet secondary school located in the Old Louisville neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky, USA and serving students in grades 9–12. It is a part of the Jefferson County Public School District...
(Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, KentuckyLouisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
) - 1999 (53 teams) Montgomery Blair High SchoolMontgomery Blair High SchoolMontgomery Blair High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States...
(Silver Spring, MarylandSilver Spring, MarylandSilver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
) - 1998 (48 teams) Valley High School (West Des Moines, IowaWest Des Moines, IowaWest Des Moines is a city in Polk, Dallas, and Warren counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 46,403; a special census taken in the spring of 2005 counted 51,744 residents and the United States Census Bureau estimated that 53,889 residents lived there in...
) - 1997 (45 teams) Venice High SchoolVenice High SchoolVenice High School may refer to:* Venice High School * Venice High School...
(Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
) - 1996 (53 teams) Venice High SchoolVenice High SchoolVenice High School may refer to:* Venice High School * Venice High School...
(Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
) - 1995 (55 teams) Van Nuys High SchoolVan Nuys High SchoolVan Nuys High School established in 1914, is a high school in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles, California, belonging to the Los Angeles Unified School District: District 2...
(Van Nuys, California) - 1994 (51 teams) Westminster SchoolWestminster SchoolThe Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
(Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
) - 1993 (43 teams) Albany High School (Albany, CaliforniaAlbany, CaliforniaAlbany is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 18,539 at the 2010 census.-History:In 1908, a group of local women protested the dumping of Berkeley garbage in their community...
) - 1992 (29 teams) Lubbock High SchoolLubbock High SchoolLubbock High School is a 5A high school serving grades nine to twelve in Lubbock, Texas . Part of the Lubbock Independent School District, the school is known for its academic program and for the fact that it has produced a number of talented musicians, vocalists, businessmen, and scientists over...
(Lubbock, TexasLubbock, TexasLubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
) - 1991 (18 teams) Lubbock High SchoolLubbock High SchoolLubbock High School is a 5A high school serving grades nine to twelve in Lubbock, Texas . Part of the Lubbock Independent School District, the school is known for its academic program and for the fact that it has produced a number of talented musicians, vocalists, businessmen, and scientists over...
(Lubbock, TexasLubbock, TexasLubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
)
External links
- Official National Science Bowl Website - includes registration information for all regional competitions
- United States Department of Energy
- Science Bowl Test Program - Windows program that asks Science Bowl questions