WASHINGTON — A local Maryland middle school has a good shot at becoming number one in the nation when it comes to science, making it to the final round of the “National Science Bowl.”
The five-member science team from Roberto Clemente Middle School in Germantown will pit their science knowledge against a Texas team Monday at Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University. It’s open to the public.
In an earlier competition on Saturday, the Clemente Middle School team lost to Fort Settlement Middle School from Sugar Land, Texas. Now the two will meet again in the finals of the 25th annual bowl.
Four-dozen middle schools participated, in categories including biology, chemistry, physics, math and earth and space science and energy.
“Four students (on a team) at a time participate, it’s like a fast paced old college bowl type of show where the moderator reads a question and the students race to buzz in to answer the question,” said Jan Tyler, the National Science Bowl Coordinator.
The teams have four members and one alternate.
Although the Germantown students are nervous, they think they can pull it off. “I think it’s a close game — we still really do have a chance of winning,” said team member Daniel Li, adding that they only lost to the Texas team by two points.
Coach Roseann Brady, a science teacher at Roberto Clemente Middle School is amazed by the students: “They’re much more knowledgeable than I am about many, many things. They’re brilliant and they’re fast and they’re inquisitive. And they like to learn.”
In the high school competition, 68 schools were going head-to-head on Sunday. From that, the top teams will head to the final competition on Monday.
The Department of Energy manages the Science Bowl. Regional competitions are held in all 50-states, also in DC, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
