For release: April 4, 2005

Contacts: 
Steve Karsjen, Ames Laboratory Public Affairs (515) 294-5643,
karsjen@ameslab.gov

MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENTISTS HEADED TO AMES

16 teams to compete in Middle School Science Bowl

AMES, Iowa – Concentrating on a small network of tubes and wires, a scientist fastens one last wire to a terminal and waits for the results. Almost immediately, a gas bubble snakes through the tubing, followed by another and another, collecting in a small, graduated vial nearby.

The experiment is real, but the scientists in this case are middle school students from across Iowa and Minnesota. Their “laboratory” will be State Gym at Iowa State University as they take part in the first stage of the two-day Ames Laboratory/ISU Regional Middle School Science Bowl, April 8-9. Sixteen teams of students will assemble and race miniature hydrogen fuel-cell cars on Friday, then compete in an academic quiz bowl on Saturday.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to bring sixth through eighth graders to ISU and stimulate their interest in science
and engineering through hands-on experience with the fuel-cell cars,” said Science Bowl coordinator and Ames Lab Public Affairs manager Steve Karsjen. “The academic competition helps boost their knowledge of science and math.”

During the competition, the middle school students will have an opportunity to interact with ISU students, faculty and Ames Lab staff. Members of ISU’s Solar Car Project, Team PrISUm, and the student chapter of the American Society of Materials will work with the middle schoolers during the fuel-cell car challenge. Friday evening, the Society of Chemistry Undergraduate Majors – known as SCUM – will provide its unique brand of flashy and noisy science entertainment. On Saturday, students, staff and faculty will serve as moderators, judges, score keepers and timekeepers for the question-and-answer portion of the competition.

The Ames Laboratory/ISU Regional competition, sponsored by 3M, RockwellCollins, Pella, and Hy-Vee, is one of 24 regionals held nationwide by the U.S. Department of Energy. The top team from each regional will advance to the National Middle School Science Bowl, June 23-26, in Golden, Colo., home of the Colorado School of Mines and DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). General Motors is a corporate partner for the national event.

Teams competing in the 2005 Ames Laboratory/ISU Regional Science Bowl are:

Anthon-Oto-Maple Valley
BooneCentral Academy (Des Moines)
Dike-New Hartford (2 teams)
Ottumwa’s Evans Middle School (2 teams)
LeMars
Mediapolis
Miller (Marshalltown)
Newton
Solon
St. Ansgar
St. Joseph (Des Moines)
Urbandale
Valley (Apple Valley, MN)

SCHEDULE
Ames Laboratory/Iowa State University
REGIONAL MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE BOWL

Friday, April 8
12:30 p.m. Registration, State Gym
1:00 Welcome (Steve Karsjen) Presentation (Larry Jones, Iver Anderson)
1:50 Build and race cars, State Gym
4:15 Campus walking tour (ISU Ambassadors)
4:30 Dinner (provided for students, coaches and volunteers only), 305 Spedding Hall
5:00 Performance by ISU’s Society of Chemistry Undergraduate Majors (SCUM), 1002 Gilman

Saturday, April 9
8:00 a.m. Welcome and rules review (Tom Barton, Ames Laboratory Director)
8:30 Pool-play matches begin
10:30 Double-elimination matches begin
11:30 Lunch
12:30 p.m. Double-elimination continues
3:00 Championship match (a tiebreaker will follow if needed)
3:30 Presentation of awards for both academic competition and fuel-cell car challenge

Ames Laboratory is operated for the Department of Energy by Iowa State University. The Lab conducts research into various areas of national concern, including energy resources, high-speed computer design, environmental cleanup and restoration, and the synthesis and study of new materials.

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Note to editors: A press release with the results of the competition will be issued Monday, April 11. Photos of the winning team from the fuel-cell car challenge and the top three finishers in the academic quiz bowl will be available also. If you are interested in receiving images, please contact Kerry Gibson, (515) 294-1405 or kgibson@ameslab.gov.

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