Resources
Discover helpful resources below to guide your team to success at the Tennessee Science Bowl.
One of the key elements of the Science Bowl competition is responding to questions through the use of a buzzer system. Coaches who have participated in contests that relied on judges to decide which student first raised a hand know how difficult and contentious that can be.
To practice, the two choices are (a) to build your own buzzer lock-out system or (b) to buy one (or more) from a manufacturer. If neither of these options are possible, but you still want to help your students get used to "buzzing in" to answer a question, find anything that makes a noise such as a hand buzzer, a horn, or a bell.
Building your own buzzer system is possible if you have a person who knows enough about electronics to assemble a workable system. Essentially, the device needs to be able to respond when one of eight (or more) students pushes a button in a way that "locks out" slower responses and has a light showing which student pushed the button first. You can find many different methods for constructing a system by simply searching for “Build a Buzzer Lockout System” online.
Commercial buzzer systems include these basic components, but shopping around is advised because prices and available features vary considerably.
One final note is that buzzer systems are not just a piece of contest equipment. They have their use in the classroom as well. Any kind of subject matter that lends itself to quick-answer review can become an occasion for an exciting contest between "teams" in the classroom.
Possible Places to Purchase Systems
Note: By listing these links, neither ORAU nor the Department of Energy is expressing endorsement of these companies or their products. The links are provided merely to provide options for those wishing to investigate buzzer systems.
The TSB uses the 8 player traditional buzzer system from buzzersystems.com with an integrated timer. You can prepare for the event and learn more about the timer by watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lUvy8x50a4
Science Bowl Prep voice app
LINK: How to Enable the Science Bowl Prep App (PDF)
Teams can practice for the Tennessee Science Bowl using the Science Bowl Prep voice app on either an Amazon Echo (Alexa) device or Google Home device as well as their respective apps on a smartphone.
To use the Science Bowl Prep app on your Amazon device:
- Enable the Science Bowl Prep skill on your Alexa device or smartphone app. (Note: Enabling an Alexa skill must only be done the first time you attempt to access it)
- Ask Alexa to “Open Science Bowl Prep.”
For Google Home devices, say “Hey Google, talk to Science Bowl Prep.” (Note: Enabling the action first is not required on Google).
For more detailed instructions on accessing the app, please see How to Enable the Science Bowl Prep App.
The Science Bowl Prep voice app relies on sample questions provided by the U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl. These are question sets that have been used in previous National Science Bowls. At release, the Science Bowl Prep app has 10 rounds of questions with 25 toss up questions and 25 bonus questions for each round. Additional question sets will continue to be added. The Science Bowl Prep app is designed to simulate real game play with the voice assistant serving as the moderator. When students launch Science Bowl Prep, they can select a round, and the voice assistant will ask the first toss up question. Contestants can give their answers directly to the digital assistant by voice. Correct answers will allow the students an opportunity to then answer a bonus question.
Because Science Bowl Prep is in beta mode, we need your help. Should you encounter bugs in the operation of the app, please report them to us by email at communications@orau.org.
Find the Science Bowl Prep voice app on:
Printable Sample Questions
Sample questions are also available as pdf files. These questions were used in past Science Bowl competitions.
Sample Questions —Used at the Regional Competitions in Previous Years (from the National Science Bowl website)
Additional Questions
Biology - Set 1
Biology - Set 2
Chemistry - Set 1
Chemistry - Set 2
The following helpful hints are provided as an aid in developing team strategies and should not be considered as part of the rules themselves. As with any competition, the judgment and application of any rule is the responsibility of the match officials.
Link: Helpful tips for teams (.pdf)