Qualifying once for the National Science Bowl is an astounding feat. Qualifying annually is extraordinary.

“Every year since the current juniors and seniors were in kindergarten, North Allegheny has qualified to attend the National Science Bowl,” NASH GOAL teacher Mrs. Ruffolo said.

Ruffolo coaches the NASH team.

“Only 64 teams from the United States and territories are invited to attend after winning their regional competitions,” she explained. “It is a very big deal indeed to earn the chance to attend.”

Late last month, both the North Allegheny Senior High School and Marshall Middle School science bowl teams competed in the nation’s capital. The trip lasted five days, including workshops, lectures, and the competition itself, and all expenses were paid by the Department of Energy.

A science bowl team consists of four to five players. The questions cover the fields of biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics, and mathematics, culminating in a rapid buzzer-style game. 

The NASH competition team included senior Haresh Muralidharan (captain) and juniors Andrew Feng, Jason Liu, Leonardo Yu, and Audrey Zheng.

“The NASH team sailed through the Round Robin part of the contest, but they ran into the eventual undefeated champions, Montgomery Blair, in Double Elimination, and we lost.  They are an incredible team, so I am very proud of them for even scoring points against them.” Ruffolo said.

Muralidharan is a science bowl veteran who has worked hard to be the captain of the NASH team.

“I’ve competed since 7th grade, making it to Nationals in 8th, 11th, and 12th grade,” he said. “The biggest challenge is everyone on the team making the time to read and review long science textbooks, especially when there are so many other competitions and priorities going on around the same time of year.”

Ruffolo, who will retire at the end of this school year, voice her appreciation for the competition hosts.

“We want to acknowledge the key role that the National Energy Technology lab has in sponsoring the DOE Science Bowl Regional Tournament and providing so very, very many students the opportunity to focus on learning science far beyond high school curriculum,” she said. “We are very grateful.”

For Muralidharan, last month’s competition was a bittersweet end to his career with the event.

“I think the team will do great next year, as there is a lot of young talent coming up. I think NA is also planning to have teams mixed with both NAI and NASH members instead of separate NAI and NASH teams, which will definitely be interesting.” 

“The D.C. experience definitely made Science Bowl one of my favorite extracurriculars throughout all of high school, and I made so many memories that I’ll never forget,” he said. “From late-night Chinese poker to cinematic pictures at the Washington Monument to vlogging the whole trip, it was definitely a blast!”