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ASHLAND Bowling for knowledge AHS, AMS Science Bowl teams heat up buzzers at regional event Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Feb. 10, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Feb 10, 2015 at 3:05 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Feb. 10, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Feb 10, 2015 at 3:05 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Reading for sport builds mental muscles » Social News Ashland High School senior Gray Lunn is still deciding between University of California, Berkeley,  and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. And he’s not precisely sure what field of engineering he’ll study when he gets wherever he ends up, though nuclear is high on the list. But before leaving Ashland to embark on a life of smashing atoms, Lunn wanted to help AHS reboot its defunct Science Bowl team, which proved to be a source of joy and camaraderie for Lunn during his days at Ashland Middle School. Lunn did that, and received school credit, too, by making Ashland High’s Science Bowl restart his senior project. Lunn’s project, which has been about two years in the making, came full circle on Saturday, when Lunn and seven of his AHS teammates traveled north to compete in the Bonneville Power Administration Regional Science Bowl at the University of Portland campus. “I don’t really have any expectations for how we’re going to do,” he said before the team left for the event. “But I for sure know that all of us are going to try our hardest and do our best to carry through.” Ashland did not shock the world and claim the 64-team regional title, which awards the champion a trip to the National Science Bowl in Washington D.C., but to Lunn and company that was more of a dream-come-true scenario than a realistic goal. Not that the well-spoken, baby-faced national honor society member who also happens to be a state qualifying javelin thrower expected Ashland to fall flat on its face at the annual competition, which features top science students from Oregon, Washington and Idaho. But considering Ashland had not sent a team north in six years and that some of competing schools, even at the regional level, recruit brainiacs the way Division I men’s basketball programs target 6-foot-10 shot-blockers, the Grizzlies were content to simply enjoy the experience and represent AHS well. “I’m less competitive than most,” Ashland sophomore Elijah Cobb said, “so my goal is to get up there and just have fun answering science questions.” As an added bonus, the teammates also learned a little more about the world around them than they ordinarily would have, a side effect that AHS Science Bowl coach and teacher Kate Kennedy says the competition triggers one buzzed-in answer at a time. “It convinces the kids and encourages kids to take more science,” she said. “So some of these freshmen that are there are like, ‘Oh gosh, there were so many physics questions; I better take physics,’ Or, ‘Gosh, we didn’t know anything about earth science; somebody better take earth science.’ They start to get strategic about what they need.’” Science Bowl competitions look like a game show, with teams of four going head-to-head in a question-and-answer battle. Multiple choice and short answer questions in one of seven categories — chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, energy and earth and space science — are read aloud by a moderator, and the first team to buzz in gets the first crack. Every player has a buzzer box. If you buzz in before the moderator is finished reading the question and all possible answers and answer incorrectly, the opposing team is awarded four points. There are toss-up questions and bonus questions and 12 pages of rules on the official Science Bowl website, which explains important details like when teammates are allowed to confer and how a team goes about challenging an answer, but essentially bowl battles are won by the team with most cumulative science knowledge. Ashland had been preparing since October, meeting in Kennedy’s classroom once a week for mock four-on-four duels, with Kennedy playing the role of moderator. During Wednesday’s practice the students answered correctly about half the time, a success rate which may not seem all that impressive — that is, until one hears the questions that are asked. A sample: “Which of the following best describes how and why electrical resistance is related to temperature? W, as temperature increases resistance decreases because the electrons move faster; X, as temperature increases resistance decreases because the electrons are lost from the conductor; Y, as temperature increases resistance increases because protons move faster; Z, as temperature increases resistance increases because atoms vibrate more, increasing electrical scattering.” The first person that buzzed in answered Y before Kennedy finished reading Z. The answer was Z. “It depends on what the kids want to do and there are times when … we do a little mini lesson or we talk about something,” Kennedy said. “But largely, a lot of practice is just with the questions, and that brings stuff up. It’s amazing because some of the kids remember. There’s only so many ways you can ask a question, right, and they’ll remember something from a question because that’s the kind of brains they have. They’ve heard it once in October and now they remember that these things go together.” Competing for Ashland last weekend were: Lunn, Cobb, Sam Sagal, Ethan Carrier, Stefan Schink, Raymond Impara, Dylan Kistler and Baylin Stich. Lunn says the competition can inspire students to look closer at a subject. “I think that (school and Science Bowl) kind of play off each other,” he said. “I think that when I’m learning things about class, whenever I’m reading a text book or going over homework, I look a little bit deeper for things that may relate to Science Bowl. So I wouldn't say I’m doing extra studying for either of them, but it does help me focus more on some of the more unorthodox things that you’d see in your school textbook.” The Ashland Middle School team also competed in its own Science Bowl regional competition Jan. 31 in Portland, and placed in the top 16. Individually, eighth-grader Alex Westrick placed in the top 10 out of 320 total competitors in a scoring system that measures how many questions each player answers correctly. The AMS team is coached by science teacher Kristi Healy. Representing Ashland Middle School were: Westrick, Hazel Richards, Nicolaas VanDerZwanm, Lauren Croyle, Nalani Figge, Rebecca Fellman, Sarah Aaronson, Aubrey Reynolds, Ty Johnson, Milo Berterand, Sierra Repp, Bella Ross, Satori Savoie, Thea Myers, Ella Thatcher and Jackson Kadle. Ashland Middle School brought three teams to Portland, one of which won all four of its first-round matchups to advance to the second round, which employs a double-elimination format. That AMS team then lost its first second-round match by only two points and its second by one question. Healy said Westrick’s top-10 finish is special because after three previous high-ranking performances by AMS boys Westrick is the first girl to accomplish the feat. “I am so thrilled,” Healy said of Westrick, who correctly answered 24 questions in the morning round. “One of focuses as a teacher is keeping girls interested in science and math and showing them that it’s OK to be smart.” Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-776-4469 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Feb. 10, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Feb 10, 2015 at 3:05 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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