DOE East Tennessee Middle School Science Bowl at Roane State on Feb. 7

The fifth annual U.S. Department of Energy’s East Tennessee Middle School Science Bowl will be hosted on Saturday, February 7, at the Roane State Community College campus in Oak Ridge. It starts at 9 a.m.

Students from 12 local middle schools will participate in a fast-paced academic competition offering students the opportunity to match their wits in math and science, a press release said.

This year 16 teams are registered for the competition. Each team includes four student competitors, an alternate, and a coach. The competition covers numerous disciplines including astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, general science, mathematics, and physics, the press release said.

Previously, the Science Bowl competition was limited to participation by high school students.

“Thanks to significant support by the American Museum of Science and Energy, the East Tennessee Middle School Science Bowl was created as a separate competition to also give middle school students an event that encourages student involvement in math and science activities,” the release said.

“The Department of Energy National Science Bowl is an academic competition that tests students’ knowledge,” said Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office manager Johnny Moore.

“Since 1991, when the National Science Bowl began, DOE has been committed to encouraging youth to excel in mathematics and science and to pursue careers in these fields. The future of addressing challenging global issues is dependent upon a job force that includes engineers, scientists, and researchers who can develop transforming technologies that tackle the challenging topics facing our nation and the world,” Moor said.

Schools participating in this year’s competition include Blount Home Education Association, Jefferson Middle School, Webb School of Knoxville, St. Mary’s School, Cedar Springs Homeschool, Norris Middle School, Powell Middle School, Concord Christian School, Farragut Middle School, Cedar Bluff Middle School, Trinity Christian Academy, and Oliver Springs Middle School.

Sponsoring an event of this size requires a large number of volunteers dedicating many hours of their time and financial support, the release said. This year’s sponsors include DOE, AMSE, the AMSE Foundation, Roane State Community College, and Z11 Communications.

For more information about the DOE’s East Tennessee Middle School Science Bowl, visit http://www.amse.org/.