Maui team takes part in Science Bowl
By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Washington Bureau
CHEVY CHASE, Md. — Question: Neglecting air resistance, if the gravitational acceleration is 10 meters per second squared, what is the instantaneous velocity acquired by a body in free fall after five seconds if it starts from rest?
Jonathan Nguyen, a sophomore at Maui High School, squeezes the buzzer. "50 meters a second," he tells the judge at the National Science Bowl.
Bonus question: If a wave has a frequency of 250 hertz, what is its period?
"0.004 seconds," Nick Jachowski, a Maui sophomore, answers after conferring with Nguyen.
Nothing is easy about the National Science Bowl, a U.S. Department of Energy contest to promote math and science among high school students. The event has not yet acquired the allure of the national spelling and geography bees, but as a straight-up intellectual challenge, contestants at the Science Bowl have to deal with much tougher material.
Maui High School was one of 66 schools — all regional champions — to compete in the early rounds yesterday, and the top three teams can choose between paid trips to international science forums in Australia or England or an ecological tour to South Carolina.
The four-person teams compete head-to-head in the round-robin opening rounds, and the atmosphere, at least for some, is intense. The contestants only have a pencil, a notepad and their teammates for comfort. If you blurt out an answer, or speak before being recognized by a judge, the other team gets to take the question.
Many of the contestants are so mentally quick they hit the buzzer before a judge even finishes the question. And, unlike a spelling bee, there are no extended pauses where contestants buy time asking for pronunciation or word origin. At the Science Bowl, you either know the answer — fast — or you don't.
Question: What is the Latin name given to the dark lowland planes of the moon? "Maria," Jachowski said, correctly.
Maui, appearing for the second year in a row, is one of the youngest teams. Jachowski, Nguyen and Christian Ling are sophomores, while Jachowski's younger brother, Daniel, is a freshman. Older brother Matt, the team's regular captain and a senior, missed the Science Bowl because he is at a scholarship competition.
"These are very select kids," said Ed Ginoza, a retired science teacher who coaches the team.
Ginoza, who also works with the Hawai'i Department of Education, stresses math and science concepts and his lessons go beyond just preparing for contests. Rather than memorizing a set of facts, students apply what they have learned to solve problems in biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, mathematics and Earth and general sciences.
"You have to master the subject matter," Ginoza said.
Jachowski, who is also a top cross-country runner, said he felt little pressure. Without Matt, and with such a young team, no one expected Maui to go very far. They wound up with one win, one tie, and four losses and were eliminated.
What made the difference? "Physics," Jachowski said. "None of us has even taken physics yet."
