Final Results Uploaded
Thank you once again for attending the Middlesex County Fourth Annual Science Bowl!

Middlesex County Science Bowl

April 27, 2024

8:30am - 3:00pm

Register Now!

About MCSB

The MCSB (formerly "MCASB") is a multi-format competition where Edison Academy Magnet School gives middle school (grades 5-8) teams the chance to compete in several areas of science, including biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, and computer science. MCSB is a great way for students passionate about the natural sciences to demonstrate their knowledge and interest.

Location

Edison Academy Magnet School, 100 Technology Drive, Edison, NJ 08837

Type

Primarily middle school competition (5th grade elementary school students allowed). Teams of 3-5 people.

Fees

$15
Includes registration and lunch for competitors. Additional food and snacks available for purchase. Payments are accepted via MySchoolBucks only.

Register Now! Please register your team on our Google Form. For each team, we need to know the team name, each team member's name, email, school name, and grade in school. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through our email mcasciencebowl@gmail.com. Good luck! Register Here

Schedule

Time Event Name Location Building
8:30 - 9:00 Team Check-In Foyer Edison Academy
9:00 - 9:15 Opening Ceremony Commons Edison Academy
9:30 - 10:30 Preliminary Test Classrooms Edison Academy
10:30 - 12:30 Quiz Bowl Rounds (4) Classrooms Edison Academy
12:30 - 1:30 Lunch Time Commons/Classrooms Edison Academy
1:30 - 2:30 Sprint Round Classrooms Edison Academy
2:45 - 3:00 Closing/Awards Ceremony Commons Edison Academy
Competition Format How does MCSB work? Preliminary Round In the preliminary round, participants take a team test consisting of multiple-choice and short answer questions. Topics tested include biology, earth science, space science, chemistry, physics, and computer science. A team's score in this round contributes to their final score. Parents or other spectators are not allowed in the testing rooms for this stage of the competition. Quiz Bowl Rounds In Quiz Bowl, 2 teams will be pitted against each other. Each team member will have a buzzer, and the moderator will begin to read each question (toss - up). Each toss up consists of clues, where as the toss - up is read, the clues get easier. Once someone figures out what scientific term, scientist, or science concept is being described, they can buzz in and say the name. For a more detailed overview of the Quiz Bowl format, please stay tuned at our opening ceremony or check the FAQs. Sprint Round In the sprint round, teams will be in rooms to compete in the speed tournament. There will be 8 question packets total, and each team will be given the first question packet at the start of the competition. However, teams can only get access to the next packet once they have submitted the previous one. A leaderboard will display the live scores of each team as they submit each packet. The team with the highest score and fastest finish wins! A team's score in this round also contributes to their final score.

MCASB 2023 Statistics

This year's in-person competition brought in participants from around the state.

35+

Participating Teams

160+

Competitors

Awards

Distributed

Tons

Of Fun



Frequently Asked Questions

Before the Competition

Why is this competition being held? The Edison Academy Magnet School is a school dedicated to STEM education and awareness. Our passion for science is what drove us to initiate this competition to help young students discover their passion and learn more in the sciences.
Is this competition for me? This competition is for anyone who shares a passion for science or simply wants to try their hands on it. It is, however, restricted to students in middle and upper elementary school (grades 5 - 8).
How should I prepare for MCSB? MCSB competition tests concepts in physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, space science, and computer science at the middle school level. The goal of this competition is to encourage learning in the sciences. To prepare optimally, we encourage that you improve upon your conceptual understanding instead of memorizing facts. Remember, there are 4 Quiz Bowl rounds, so you may want to learn in advance how the Quiz Bowl format works. We will send out a tournament guide to discuss the logistics for all the tournament rounds.

During the Competition

How does Quiz Bowl work? In a Quiz Bowl round, 2 teams will be pitted against each other. Each member on the team will have a buzzer. The moderator will begin to read "clues" about a scientific term, location, scientist, or concept. Any competitor on either team can buzz in while the moderator is still speaking and answer. However, please note that only the buzzer can answer the question.

If the buzzer answers correctly within the first 5 seconds, their team will get 15 points. If the buzzer answers incorrectly, their team will lose 5 points.

If the buzzer answers correctly before the time is up, their team will get 10 points. If the buzzer answers incorrectly or nobody buzzes before the time is up, their team will not lose any points.

If a team gets a question right, they will subsequently get 3 bonus questions to answer. These bonuses can only be answered by the team who got the initial question right, and teams can collaborate to provide an answer to each bonus within 8 seconds of the moderator reading the question. If they get a bonus question correct, they can get 10 extra points.

Once the bonus questions have been asked, the moderator will move on to the next question.

Is there a day-of overview? On the day of the competition, you first attend our opening ceremony. All competition logistics and rules will be explained there. We will be sending out room assignments regarding where your team needs to go for each round. We'll be making regular announcements with any changes.

Contact Us

Our inbox is always open. Please read the following information.

  • We will be posting the spreadsheet for day-of activities on the website during the competition.
  • Please check this website regularly for updates.
  • We will be sending other important information regarding the competition via email; please check it regularly.
  • Reach out to us @ mcasciencebowl@gmail.com
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