WV Science Bowl Regionals

2019-2020 WV Math And Science Bowl
High School Preliminary Competition
for the RESA 1 & 4 area
Saturday, November 16, 2019
at Concord University

What is Science Bowl?
The West Virginia Regional Science Bowl is affiliated with the National Science Bowl, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. Science Bowl is structured as a tournament-style academic competition which tests students’ knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics. During the competition, pairs of teams face-off in a fast-paced question-and-answer format exploring topics from a full range of STEM disciplines including astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology / Earth science, physics, energy, and mathematics. Middle school and high school teams include four students plus one alternate. At least one teacher serves as a mentor and coach for each team. The top three winning teams from each RESA area may advance from the preliminary competition to state and potentially national competitions. Participation rules, sample questions, and general Science Bowl information may be found at the National Science Bowl website.

What WV Counties are Included in this High School Preliminary Competition?

Concord is hosting a preliminary competition for high schools all counties in the former Regional Education Service Agencies (RESAs) 1 and 4. The RESA 1 area includes Raleigh, Summers, Monroe, Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming counties. The RESA 4 area includes Braxton, Webster, Pocahontas, Greenbrier, Fayette, and Nicholas counties.

Preliminary Competition Pre-Registration
High school team registration will be conducted via an online registration form. Please register by November 8. If any changes need to be made to a prior registration (e.g. to change names of the team members), please send those to Steve Kuehn (contact information below) no later than 5 pm on November 15. Note that last-minute changes might not appear in the event program. Typically each school is limited to two teams, but a third team may be possible at this preliminary competition on a space-available basis. Please inquire if your school desires to register three teams.

Preliminary Competition Location
The competition will occur on Concord University's campus in Athens, WV (driving directions). The most convenient parking for the event is located in Lot 1 and Lot 2 adjacent to building 12, the Science Building.

Preliminary Competition Day Schedule
On the day of the high school competition, check-in will be from 11 am to 1:00 pm in the lobby of Concord's Student Center building. The welcome and keynote speaker will begin at 1:00 pm in the Student Center ballroom. The competition will begin at 2:00 pm in the nearby Science Building and is expected to last approximately 5-6 hours. The final rounds of competition will take place in Science Building room 400.

For Winning Teams at the Preliminary Competition
The state-level West Virginia Regional Science Bowl (WVSB) for high school teams will take place on February 7-8, 2020. Participation will be limited to a maximum of 2 teams per high school and 24 teams total. The top three winning teams from RESA 1 and the top three from RESA 4 area may be invited by the WVSB coordinators to advance from the Concord-hosted preliminary competition to the state-level (regional) competition. The same is true for RESA 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, & 8 at their respective preliminary competitions. Teams may not compete in the state-level science bowl if they have not previously participated in a preliminary competition.

For Volunteers
We intend to run 8 to 10 competitions in parallel with the number decreasing as teams become eliminated. For 10 competition rooms, approximately 40 volunteers are needed. Volunteers may be Concord faculty, staff, and students as well as members of the local community. For most volunteers, the on-site commitment on competition day will be about 2-3 hours. We will need a few people who can stay longer to help with later rounds of competition as well as a few who can arrive earlier to help with team check-in. It would be helpful for volunteers to review the rules, volunteer roles, and training materials at the National Science Bowl website prior to the competition. There will also be a volunteer meeting at 4 pm on Friday the 15th to help get everyone organized and to prepare the competition rooms. Although we hope that most volunteers will be able to attend the Friday meeting, it is still possible to be a volunteer on Saturday even if one cannot attend the meeting on Friday.

Have Questions?
Please contact Dr. Stephen (Steve) Kuehn:
Concord University, Campus Box F-20
PO Box 1000
Athens, WV 24712-1000
304-384-6322 (office)
304-384-6225 (FAX)
Science building room 106
sckuehn@concord.edu

Note: Photographs, possibly for promotional and media purposes, will be taken during the event.