Free 4-day science competition camp for Carmel Clay middle school students. Taught by the Carmel A Team.
A rigorous and fun summer camp for Carmel Clay District middle school students with a passion for science. We introduce campers to the Department of Energy-sponsored National Science Bowl through morning topic lessons, afternoon buzzer practice, and a Thursday tournament with prizes for the winning team.
Students learn from an instructor team that includes an RSI alum, USNCO camper, USAAIO camper, USAJMO winner, USAPhO Silver medalist, USAMO qualifier, USABO Top 125, and USESO Top 100. Campers choose two subjects to focus on each morning.
For more about the National Science Bowl, visit the DOE site.
| 9:00 – 9:10 | Check-In |
| 9:10 – 10:40 | Morning Session 1 |
| 10:40 – 10:50 | Break |
| 10:50 – 12:20 | Morning Session 2 |
| 12:20 – 1:20 | Lunch (packed lunch — bring your own) |
| 1:20 – 2:40 | Buzzing Battles |
| 2:40 – 2:50 | Break |
| 2:50 – 4:00 | Buzzing Battles |
| 4:00 | Dismissal & Pick-Up |
On the afternoon of Thursday, all campers compete in a tournament. Students may form their own teams. Winners get special prizes.
Click each subject to expand the topic list and recommended reading.
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Each morning has two sessions, with 2-3 lessons running simultaneously per session. Students choose which lesson to attend.
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Afternoons are run in roughly three rooms reading through Science Bowl packets. Students may form their own teams and are encouraged to make friends across grades.
No. The camp is designed for complete beginners as well as students who've competed before. Lessons start from fundamentals.
The primary goal of the summer camp is to provide a rigorous introduction to a wide variety of topics in each subject and inspire students to learn more through self-studying via textbooks (the most consistent way to improve at a beginner level). Our syllabus is designed to align with that of national olympiads, namely USAPhO, USNCO, USABO, USESO, and USAAAO. That being said, all content taught is self contained. We encourage interested students to pursue the material independently.
No — students bring a packed lunch each day.
Pencil/pen, notebook, packed lunch, water bottle, phone or other electronic device (for online buzzers).
Drop-off / pickup door TBD. Students will check in/out each morning/afternoon and receive name tags.
Our primary goal is to introduce campers to science at a deeper level than most middle school curricula reach, and to spark interest in the national science olympiads — USAPhO, USNCO, USABO, USESO, and USAAAO — which most of the camp's instructors have competed in themselves. Science Bowl is one natural extension of that interest, not the destination.
Some Carmel Clay middle schools run their own Science Bowl teams that compete at the Indiana Regional Middle School Science Bowl, and camp is strong preparation for joining one. Camp is also strong preparation for trying out for the Carmel High School team as freshmen. But whether or not you end up competing in Science Bowl, the goal is to leave camp with a broader view of science and the habits to keep exploring it.