12 Arizona schools competing in National Science Bowl

PHOENIX — A dozen schools from Phoenix and Tucson are among the field that will compete in a national science competition, according to a press release.

The schools will virtually contend for the 31st U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science’s National Science Bowl, pitting middle and high school students in a series of tournaments held through March

The Grand Canyon State competitors include BASIS outposts in Ahwatukee, Chandler, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tucson; as well as Chandler’s Hamilton High School, Scottsdale’s Saguaro High School, Buckeye’s Verrado High School and and Arizona College Prep Erie Campus.

The schools will compete head-to-head in preliminary rounds to determine the top 32 teams that will compete in the elimination tournament, which is held on May 8 (middle schoolers) and May 22 (high schoolers).

Students will be tested on a variety of subjects in the fields of math and science, facing off in a fast-paced question and answer format.

The disciplines covered include biology, chemistry, earth and space science, physics, energy and math, according to the release.

The teams competing in the event consist of four students, a teacher that serves as the team’s advisor, an alternate team member and a coach.

The event, which began in 1991, has seen more than 315,000 high school students face off against each other, with more than 14,700 students participating in the competition each year.

Follow @KTAR923