While many students spent the weekend before the end of the term prepping for exams, some BC students spent their Saturday, on January 12th, competing at the Regional Science Bowl Competition hosted at MSOE. Over 30 teams competed in a series of buzzer-round questions, with students all across Wisconsin looking to test their knowledge in the areas of biology, chemistry, astronomy, math, environmental sciences, and earth and space sciences. All of the teams present were competing with hopes of advancing for the national competition held in Washington D.C. Amongst all the teams, were Brookfield Centrals’ A and B teams. Led by club president, and team head captain Niyati Hansaria, and co-captains Vaughn Goehrig and Vera Fong, Brookfield Central started off the competition with a secured win. The A team consisted of team captain Vera Fong, Jahnavi Hansaria, Anna Huang, Julia Cao, Sam Patterson, Preston Tran, Evan Bagwell, Joel Kuriakose, and Samantha Ayer. The B team consisted of captain Vaughn Goehrig, Andrew Kim, Niyati Hansaria, Aditya Kurre, and Anvith Aravati.

There were ups and downs as the rounds went on, but both teams got closer and closer to advancing towards the double elimination round. This round would determine the one victorious team that would showcase their abilities at Nationals. Unfortunately, Brookfield Central teams missed the double elimination cut off by a hair, missing 2 valuable points to Eisenhower and Marshfield.

Nevertheless, the experience was a very motivational and encouraging one for our competitors – especially since this was a first-time experience for many students. “At times the competition was stressful and frustrating, because you had to make sure everyone participated and gave their best effort. But the thrill of competition was a highly rewarding experience because it felt amazing when you knew the answer and helped your team out by gaining points,” reflects freshman Jahnavi Hansaria. Sophomore Aditya Kurre also adds, “The science bowl competition was a great experience. I met so many others who shared a passion for science, and learned so much through competing in the event. Since joining the club, I’ve been more motivated to learn and explore in all the areas of science.”

All the teams and competitors plan on working even harder for next year, and are excited about the future challenges and rewards to come!