MIT Science Bowl Hosts Sixth High School Invitational
“100 volunteers show up in the morning of the competition. They are reading the questions, timekeeping, and scorekeeping in perfect synchrony, in 24 different rooms. It’s just wonderful.”
Photo Courtesy of Titus Tsai
On Nov. 16, 26-100 brimmed with energy as high school participants, teachers, guardians, and MIT student volunteers gathered for the annual MIT Science Bowl Invitational. Hailing from across the United States, 48 teams, including those from as far as California and Washington, filled the rows of the auditorium, ready to compete.
MIT Science Bowl, a student-led organization, began hosting competitions in 2016, striving to foster teamwork and students’ passion for science. The first competition they hosted was the Northeast Regional Middle School Science Bowl. Held on MIT’s campus, it invited middle school teams to compete for a chance to advance to the national tournament in Washington, D.C. In 2019, the organization expanded to host its first High School Invitational, featuring twelve teams.
This year, MIT Science Bowl hosted teams from 44 different schools across 15 states. The competition began with five rounds of Round Robin, where each contestant meets every other participant, followed by five rounds of Wildcard Tournament, and concluded with nine elimination rounds. The questions for the tournaments are created by MIT student volunteers, each round testing students' knowledge in chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, and earth and space science. MIT Science Bowl added an Energy category that touches on MIT-based research, such as research in CSAIL and the Koch Institute.
MIT Science Bowl organizes the events “all from scratch,” co-president Jonathan Huang stated. “You write the questions, you plan it all out, you order the food, you reserve all the rooms.” And the day of, he shared, “it's a really nice experience seeing everything come together.”
The Invitational is entirely volunteer-run; “100 volunteers show up in the morning of the competition. They are reading the questions, timekeeping, and scorekeeping in perfect synchrony, in 24 different rooms. It's just wonderful.”
They coordinated with Lori Tsuruda, founder and executive director of People Making a Difference (PMD). PMD sent 20 to 30 volunteers to help out with this competition. Alborz Bejnood, MIT Science Bowl’s advisor, also helps to organize the event.
After 5 rounds of Round Robin and Wildcard, the final double-elimination round kicked off at 5:00 p.m. Eight students—four from Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, and four from Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, California — sat tensely with their hands hovering over buzzers. The two teams faced each other across the auditorium stage, separated only by a large scoreboard and three MIT student volunteers.
By the last question, Montgomery Blair took the lead by 14 points. In order to tie and continue the tournament, Mission San Jose needed to answer both of their next questions correctly, the short answer and the accompanying bonus question. If not, the round would be over.
The audience, comprising teammates, families, and other participants, watched quietly as the moderator read the final question to Mission San Jose:
Chemistry Short Answer Question: When buckminsterfullerene is singly ionized, the icosahedral symmetry of the caged structure is broken. What effect is responsible for this electronic distortion?
Answer: Jahn-Teller
That is correct.
Bonus Chemistry Multiple Choice: Which of the following best explains the source of the vibrant color produced when starch is added to a solution of iodine?
W) Iodine accepts electrons from starch into a sigma star orbital
X) Iodine accepts electrons from starch into a pi star orbital
Y) Starch accepts electrons from iodine into a sigma star orbital
Z) Starch accepts electrons from iodine into a pi star orbital
Answer: W) Iodine accepts electrons from starch into a sigma star orbital
That is incorrect.
Montgomery Blair had sealed their victory. The students leapt out of their seats to embrace each other and the lecture hall erupted in applause.
“The first thing I did was start hiccuping,” Katherine Wang, a senior in the Montgomery Blair Science Bowl Team, admitted. “I'd been holding my breath, since the round came down to whether or not Mission San Jose got their last bonus question.”
“I felt thrilled that our hours of hard work and preparation had paid off,” Kian Dhawan, a junior on the team, exclaimed. Evan Zhang, a junior on the team, added, “We made a huge improvement from last year.”
The tournament concluded with a closing ceremony where awards were presented to the top teams.
For Montgomery Blair, the victory was only part of the experience. “Hanging out with other players from across the country was one of my favorite parts of the tournament,” said Wang.
Beyond the competition, the event highlighted the importance of connecting with other students who share a passion for science. As Yunyi Ling, the team’s captain, put it, “I participate in Science Bowl because it’s such a fun community. I’ve grown really close with everyone on my team, and I’ve also made friends from across the country through Science Bowl.”