What is Science Bowl?

Science Bowl is a fast-paced, high-energy, buzzer-play academic competition for high-school and middle-school students. Thousands of science students from across the nation participate in Science Bowl each year, and it is one of the highlights of our academic year. Both the AAH Middle School and AAH High School Science Bowl teams have advanced to nationals more than once!

The AAH Science Teams participate in the Regional Science Bowl held at Texas A&M University in College Station every spring. This one-day event is a competitive, high-intensity, exhilarating day for the participants.  The winner of the regional event wins an all-expense-paid trip to the National Science Bowl in Washington, DC.

In the competition, two teams compete to answer various science-related questions using a buzzer system, similar to those seen on television game shows such as Jeopardy! In High School Bowl, there are six subject areas:  Earth and Space Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, and Energy. In Middle School Bowl, the six subject areas are:  General Science, Life Science, Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Mathematics and Energy.

A team consists of five students.  Only four students play at any one time; the fifth student is an alternate and may rotate in to give other teammates a break. Two teams compete against each other in each match.  Each match consists of two eight-minute halves, with at most 23 questions.  Questions consist of a toss-up (4 points) and corresponding bonus (10 points) if the toss-up is answered correctly.  The team with the most points is the winner.

The National Science Bowl has been organized and sponsored by the US Department of Energy since the competition's inception in 1991.