Teams of students from high schools across Iowa put their scientific knowledge to the test Saturday by competing in the 13th Annual Regional Science Bowl. The science bowl is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory and Iowa State.

“It’s great for kids to meet students of their own ability and the whole competition is fun for them,” said Ken Beck, a competition coach of the team from Solon.

Students representing 45 Iowa high schools answered questions from categories such as astronomy, biology, physics, chemistry, earth science and general science, as well as current events in the scientific and technical community.

After going undefeated all day in competition, a team from Cedar Rapids Washington prevailed over Central Academy of Des Moines 40-30 to win the overall title, said Steve Karsjen, a coordinator of the Ames Lab/ISU Science Bowl and program coordinator at the Ames Laboratory.

“[The bowl] is a great opportunity to provide a venue for students who excel in science and math to come together and compete against each other,” Karsjen said. “We hope that they go on to careers in science and math.”

Joseph Hove, one of the captains of the Solon team, said he thought the most enjoyable aspect of the Science Bowl was competing with many different schools.

“It’s fun for everyone to compete with different questions and different schools that we haven’t seen before,” Hove said.

“It’s sort of a conglomeration of nerds.”

The event was one of 66 regional competitions being held throughout the nation. Regional champions will advance to the Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., May 1-5.

In 1998, a team from Valley High School of Des Moines won the National Science Bowl competition, Karsjen said. As a reward for their accomplishment, the Valley team traveled to Germany and met a Nobel Prize laureate.

Since the bowl’s inception, more than 80,000 high school students have participated in regional tournaments leading up to the National Finals.

About 90 faculty members, staff and students from the Ames Laboratory and Iowa State served as moderators, judges, timekeepers and scorekeepers for the event.

“[The competition] encourages students to learn different areas of science and become more skilled in the subjects,” said Barbara Lograsso, a moderator during a competition between Solon and Waverly and program coordinator of the ISU Center for Advanced Technology Development.

Students answered questions of multiple choice or short answer in which they had a limited amount of time to buzz in and answer. If the students answered correctly, he or she would then be able to answer a bonus question within the same category.

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