VOLUNTEERS

How can you help? Be a:

Moderator

Rules Judge

Timekeeper

Scientific Judge

Scorekeeper

Also needed are volunteers to work the registration table, help with crowd control, and run errands.

Sign up now! Just complete the Volunteer Form (Available as a PDF file. Download the Adobe Acrobat Reader for free at http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html.)

Return the form to:

Tennessee Science Bowl
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
ATTN: Kay Ball
P.O. Box 117, MS 36
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117
FAX: (865) 241-5220

Moderator

The Moderator is THE person responsible for controlling each match. It is important that you are familiar with how the game is played and all of the contest rules. It is, therefore, extremely important that you review the rules well in advance of the actual event.

Be sure to read About the Science Bowl to learn about the format. Also read the descriptions of the other volunteers' duties to understand how they support the moderator's role.

Introductions

• Introduce officials
• Ask students to introduce themselves
• Ask coaches to come to the front of the room, shake hands, and introduce themselves.

Rules

• Read the Important Rules sheet at the start of each game. This will be located in your packet.

Reading the Questions

• Announce whether it's a toss-up or bonus question.
• Announce the question category.
• Announce whether the question is multiple choice or short answer.
• Read the question.
• If a team correctly answers the toss-up question, then it is awarded the opportunity to answer a bonus question. After the bonus question, the round resumes with the next toss-up question.

Getting the Answer

• Verbally recognize the individual before she/he responds. Identify the student by announcing Team A or Team B and the participant ID (captain, 1, 2, or 3).

Who Won?

• Fill out the official score sheet. Put the official score sheet, the flipchart tally, and the Scientific Judge's questions in your envelope/packet. Have the packet taken immediately by a runner to Science Bowl Central.

Remember:

• If it's a toss-up question, then team members CANNOT consult with each other. If it's a bonus question, then consultation is allowed but the team captain must answer.
  
• The first answer always counts.

You will be provided with the questions for your games well in advance of the actual event. It is important that you read all of the questions before the competition to help ensure that you read the questions smoothly and to allow you to make certain of all pronunciations of scientific terms.

top

Rules Judge

• Stand in front of the room facing the audience.
• Ensure that all competition rules are followed. To serve in this capacity, it is imperative that you fully understand all competition rules. Please review the competition rules before coming to the Science Bowl training session.
• Ensure that no one signals or communicates with the competitors during a match. If communication does occur, you have the authority to ask the person to leave the room (without causing undue stress.)
• Ensure that the clock is stopped during discussions between officials or between officials and students. If there's a challenge, ask the timekeeper to stop the clock.
• Watch for Scorekeeper errors. If, for example, Team A is supposed to get 4 points, the Rules Judge needs to make sure the Scorekeeper doesn't inadvertently credit the wrong team with those points.
• Ensure that quiet is maintained.
• Collect all used scratch papers from teams at the beginning of the match, at the half-way point, and at the end.
• If a rule is broken, you may, at your discretion, give one warning.

top

Scientific Judge

The questions in each subject area have been reviewed by at least two individuals with subject expertise to eliminate erroneous or ambiguous questions. In addition, we have selected a multiple-choice format for many of our questions. This eliminates more than one correct answer (it's either one of the choices or the response is wrong).

1. Review all questions before the event.
2. Your primary duty is to resolve question challenges.  Should a question be challenged, take the following steps:

• Stop the competition clock.
• If the question is in your field or that of the Moderator or another Science Bowl official in the room, resolve the challenge without outside assistance.
• If a challenge arises that is out the field of the officials in your room, bring the challenge to Science Bowl Central. The organizing committee will either have someone on call or in the building in each of the science, math, or computer science areas who can resolve the issue. Once you report a decision, that decision is final.
• If you feel that time was lost due to the interruption (e.g., 5, 10, or 15 seconds), check with the Moderator who may add that time back onto the clock before resuming the competition. Be certain to announce that you are "correcting" the time because time lost was due to the interruption so that all participants understand what is happening.

3. Ensure that the Moderator has read each question correctly. You will be given a packet of questions identical to those of the Moderator. As the Moderator reads a question, follow along to make sure the question is read correctly and that all words are pronounced correctly.
4. Control the buzzer system. Turn the flashing light off after the student has been recognized.

top

Scorekeeper

• Set up a score sheet on a flipchart.

• Place points in the first column under a team and keep a cumulative tally in the second column.
  
• Toss-up questions = 4 points
  
• Bonus questions = 10 points
  
• If a competitor interrupts the Moderator while a question is being read, and then answers the question incorrectly:

• the opposing team is awarded 4 points
• has a chance to answer the toss-up question (for an additional 4 points)
• has a chance to answer the bonus question (for an additional 10 points)

• At half-time, there won't be a cheering squad. Just draw a double line with a total. Announce the scores for Teams A and B.
  
• At the end of the game, announce the final scores.

top

Timekeeper

• Focus on the time, not the game! And know the rules!
• Operate the official competition time clock. You will be provided with a clock that shows both minutes and seconds. At the beginning of each of the competition's halves, set the clock at 8 minutes. The clock should be started as soon as the Moderator begins to read the first question. The clock should be allowed to run uninterrupted until time expires UNLESS there is a question or rules challenge.
• After the first half, call "HALF" and time the break for 2 minutes. At the end of the game, call "GAME."
• At the conclusion of each half, reset the clock.
• If there is an interruption, stop the clock until the issue is resolved. Restart the timer when the Moderator begins reading the next question. Add time back onto the clock if the Moderator feels that an interruption has unduly used competition time. Again, be certain to explain to the participants that a time correction is being made. (Note: the clock cannot move backwards, so you must track additional time on your watch; then start the game clock after that time has elapsed.)
• On toss-up questions, one of the teams must answer within 5 seconds of when the Moderator completes the question. Keep track of the 5 seconds allowed, calling "TIME" so that the Moderator will know to proceed to the next toss-up question.
• Keep track of the time for bonus questions. Each time a team correctly answers a toss-up question, the team will be awarded a bonus question. The students have 20 seconds to answer the bonus question AFTER the moderator has finished reading the question. After 15 seconds in the bonus period has elapsed, say "5 SECONDS" to alert the students that only 5 seconds remain to answer the question. At the end of the 20 seconds, say "TIME" loudly enough for the all participants to hear. Generally, it will be sufficient for you to time the 20-second interval by reading the clock provided for the match. However, a stopwatch may also be used for this purpose.
• Once the match is concluded, give the moderator's package to the runner to take to Science Bowl Central.

top

Tenn. Science Bowl Home

Students || Coaches || Sponsors

About the Bowl || Eligibility || Forms || Practice Questions || Rules || Contact Information

Copyright 2001, Oak Ridge Associated Universities.
12/12/02