Welcome.

Thank you for joining us here at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado.

Some of Colorado's smartest high school minds have gathered here today to compete against each other in all things science.

I'm excited to be back once again as your host and watch these brilliant high school teams compete against each other.

This year we have 24 teams from around the state, all competing against each other for the championship.

Here's how the competition will go.

24 high school teams from all over the state compete in preliminary rounds.

They answer questions on everything from astronomy, geology, chemistry, and, of course, paleontology.

12 teams will move on to the quarterfinal round.

Then six teams move on to compete as semifinalists, and then three teams will advance to compete in the final round for the championship title on the stage behind us.

Many others have traveled overnight from the far corners of Colorado to test their knowledge.

It's a big day.

Follow me.

We are here with Weld Central and they brought their own dinosaur.

Yeah.

You got to bring a dinosaur to the Dino Ridge Quiz Bowl, right?

Whos in the dinosaur costume?

Hi, I'm Logan Seeley.

Logan, is it hot in there?

No, I have actually have air conditioning.

Air conditioned dinosaur.

You can't beat that.

Hi, guys.

How are you doing?

We're doing good.

All right.

You guys excited for today?

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

Good deal.

Now, right off the bat, tell me what your strategy is for the big day today.

Just kind of keep the pressure low on each other, basically.

The plan is not to get mad at each other.

A lot of us, at least me and Isaac, deal with a bit of this, like, what's it called?

Like, nerves and stuff.

So as long as we just, like, remain calm and stuff, I think we should do pretty well.

Beautiful.

Now, I hear, like, some teams in the past have used hand signals and that type of thing.

Do you guys do that?

Yeah.

So have hand signals because we ain't allowed to talk during the questions.

Because if we say so, we would, get challenged in the point may get taken away from us.

So we have this if we just want to hear the rest of the question telling our team not to buzz.

You could do this if you know something.

I like that that's hang loose, too, right?

I think, or something like that, I don't know.

when we do this, if multiple people on our team have an answer, we have, number one through five.

How confident you are.

One is, the least confident and probably a joke answer.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

And five is I know the answer for sure.

Are you excited about doing this thing today?

Yeah, I am.

Why are you?

It's my first time going to Dino Ridge.

Yeah, for something like this.

Why did you decide to jump in and try this out?

It sounded fun to do something like this.

And tell everybody where you guys are from.

We are from Weld Central High School, Keensburg, Colorado.

Good luck.

Where are you guys from?

Genoa-Hugo!

Genoa-Hugo!

And you guys are, The Pirates.

The Pirates, okay!

Well, right off the bat.

Let me just ask you what, what your strategy is as far as putting everything together today.

Well, I think our strategy is just trying to stay happy and excited about, like, learning in this, that opportunity that we get.

It's one of my favorite meets of the year, and I think all of the rest of us.

So we're just going to stay happy, stay in the right mindset and try as much as we can.

Gonna be good to be able to use all that knowledge that we've gained throughout the year.

And any of you here for the first time, are you guys all veterans?

Its our second year.

What are you looking forward to the most and what are you going to try to do to win this year?

Answer the questions fast and click the buzzer.

Oh, that's one of the most important.

Clicking that buzzer right.

All right well good luck you guys again.

You guys are from... Genoa-Hugo!

Okay, gang, we have a team that traveled a long way to get here.

All the way from... Lake City.

Lake City down in southwestern Colorado, right?

And this is a small and mighty team, right?

How many?

How many people are on your team?

We brought five people total.

Five people total.

And you are those two seniors, right?

Two of three seniors.

Two of three seniors in our graduating class.

What are your feelings now that you're kind of almost done with, with the whole Quiz Bowl scenario?

I'm definitely going to miss it.

It was something I look forward to every year.

It's a really good experience for our small community.

Get to go out and do it.

Okay.

It looks like they're ready.

The teams are on their way to the first rounds of competition.

The wait is over for the Dino Ridge Science Quiz Bowl.

Here we go.

Good luck for the tournament today.

Question number one: reptilian roots.

What suffix is commonly used in many genus names of reptiles, especially extinct ones?

Saurus?

Saurus is the correct response.

Electrical components that limit the flow of current in a circuit.

Resistors.

Resistor is the correct response.

Circuit.

Circuit is incorrect.

Thermal?

Thermal is incorrect.

What geologic era is represented?

Cretaceous?

That is incorrect.

Mesozoic.

Correct .

Mesozoic is the correct response.

If you must, you can live without what left-sided abdominal organ?

Liver.

That is incorrect.

Kidney?

That is incorrect.

If you must, you can live without what left-sided... Spleen.

Spleen is the correct response.

Instrusive?

That is correct.

The Mississippi?

That is correct.

Roche.

Roche Limit is correct.

Hogback.

Hogback is the correct response.

Fluoride?

Fluoride is correct.

The Uffington White Horse, the Cerne Abbas Giant and the Cliffs... Chalk.

Chalk is correct.

In which US city are the La Brea Tar Pits... Los Angeles.

Yes.

Cosmic microwave background radiation.

Cosmic microwave background radiation.

That is correct.

Fjord.

Fjord is correct.

Sapphire.

That is correct.

Ozone.

Ozone is incorrect.

Heated vaporization.

Correct.

Lithosphere.

The lithosphere is correct.

Paleontology.

Paleontology is the correct response here.

Stegosaurus.

Stegosaurus is correct.

Pangaea.

Pangaea is correct.

Subduction.

Subduction is correct.

Correct.

Preventing decay by drying out soft tissues, what preservation mode can teams see?

Desiccation.

Desiccation is the correct response.

What is the term for water that saturates the pores?

Five.

Groundwater.

Groundwater is correct.

The amount of heat required to convert a unit mass of liquid into a gas, that is... Heat of vaporization.

Heat of vaporization is correct.

Plesiosaur.

Yes, Plesiosaur is correct.

Continental drift.

Correct.

Oxidation reduction.

Yes.

Hummingbird.

Hummingbird is correct.

Hogback.

Correct.

Method?

That is correct.

Calibration?

Calibration is correct.

Ice Age?

Ice Age is correct.

Soil.

Centrifugal.

Andes?

Triassic.

Jurassic.

Cretaceous.

Iceland.

That is correct.

Correct.

Correct.

Correct.

That is correct.

After six rounds of intense competition, we are down to six semifinalists.

And here they are.

Grand Junction Team A Conifer, Durango, Fossil Ridge Team A, Grand Junction Team B and Classical Academy Team A. Okay, everybody guess what?

These guys are from Conifer.

And what's special about this round you're going into?

This is our first time here.

And we made it to the semifinals.

First time in the semifinals.

Can we give these guys a round of applause for that, guys?

First time in the semis.

All right.

What was your what was your strategy to get this far?

We did some mock events.

And we also read up on the subject of geology.

We got some veterans here.

These guys are from Durango.

What are you guys feeling so far?

We're pretty happy that we got here.

I mean, it's been it's been tough.

We drive a long way out to get here.

I know all the way from Durango.

Yeah.

Oh, my gosh, six hours.

Yeah.

So it's pretty, it's pretty cool to get out here.

Did you guys just study all the way on the drive for the six hours?

We did some of that.

Some kind of just, like, relaxing.

Try not to get too stressed.

Yeah.

How did you guys get to the semifinals?

And he's been pretty good so far.

I mean, like, as, like we study a lot of topics, and, that's how we were able to get as far as we did, you know?

I mean, like, I personally like, I took a course like, you know.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Any particular subject that you're the best in?

No.

No.

How about you?

Math and science.

All sorts.

Not too good at the dinosaurs.

That's, Vince's thing.

Oh, you're the paleontologist?

Yup, Im the paleantologist.

All right, well, here they go.

They are going to go to the semifinals.

Let's cheer them on.

We're out of here.

Congratulations on having gotten this far.

Good luck with you on the next step in the process.

Let's go with question number one.

What long necked dinosaur was once thought... Plesiosaurus.

That is incorrect.

To have lived in water to support its massive weight until scientist... Plinosaurus.

That is incorrect.

Stegosaurus.

Incorrect.

We're looking for either Brontosaurus or Apatosaurus here.

What rounded or oval structure is visible at Dinosaur Ridge form within... Concretion?

Concretion is the correct response.

What is the name of the branch of paleontology that studies how organic remains pass from the bioshpere to the lithosphere?

Team C Macroalgae.

That is incorrect.

Cryptozoology.

Incorrect.

Taphonomy?

Taphonomy is correct.

A porous rock gains what other property when the pores are connected, allowing for the transmission of fluids.

Team A. Vesicular.

That is incorrect.

Permeability.

Permeability is the correct response.

Glacier.

Yes, that is correct.

Rainshadow?

Rainshadow is correct.

Tritium.

Tritium is the correct response.

JavaScript.

JavaScript is the correct response.

Hemoglobin?

Hemoglobin is correct.

Shell?

It is correct.

The quarries near Carrara, Italy have produced more of... Dolomite.

Dolomite is incorrect.

Marble?

Marble is the correct response.

The singular specimen that is designated by paleontology... Holotype.

Correct!

Yes!

Caused by gravity and... Mass wasting.

Mass wasting is incorrect.

Plutonic.

Plutonic is incorrect.

Stegosaurus.

Correct.

That's 30 questions, I will pause momentarily while we tabulate the final score.

We have made it to the finals of the Fifth Annual Dino Ridge Science Quiz Bowl.

Again, I'm Chief Meteorologist Dave Aguilara from CBS Colorado, and joining me is Amy Atwater, the Director of Paleontology at Dino Ridge.

Hi, Amy.

Are you ready for this thing?

I am so excited to meet our top three finalists!

Yes.

Let's bring them in!

Right off the bat, Grand Junction Team A, come on down!

Classical Academy Team A, come on up!

And last but not least, Grand Junction Team B, here they are everybody!

Are you guys ready for the finals?

Yeah!

Woohoo!

All right.

Amy, are you ready to knock out some knowledge?

Let's ask some questions.

All right, let's do it.

All right.

Question one.

Sleeping giants.

A volcano that hasn't erupted.

Grand Junction Team A. Dormant.

That is correct.

Question two.

Referring to the vertical movement of the Earth's crust, which principle explains why... Grand Junction Team B. Convection.

That is incorrect.

Grand Junction Team A. Buoyancy.

That is incorrect.

What principal explains continental crust floats higher than oceanic crust on the mantle.

Classical Academy.

Buoyancy.

That is incorrect.

I was looking for Isostasy.

All right.

Question three.

Sudden shifts.

In July 2025, about 2 million people living near the Pacific Ocean were advised to evacuate on the account... Grand Junction Team A. Tsunami.

That is correct.

Question four.

The arm length to body length ratio for a given T. rex is one, Grand Junction Team A. Wingspan.

That is incorrect of a given T rex is 1 to 12.

If the arms are 2.5ft long, how many feet long is the rest of its body?

Classical Academy 20ft.

That is incorrect.

Grand Junction Team B.

30ft.

30ft is correct.

Question five.

The windy Plains.

Extensively exposed throughout the American Midwest, what is the geologic term for a layer of predominantly... Grand Junction Team A. Step.

That is incorrect.

Classical Academy.

Piedmont.

That is incorrect.

Of predominantly silt size sediment that formed by the accumulation of windblown dust at the end of the last glacial period.

Grand Junction Team B. Mounds.

That is incorrect.

I'm looking for Loess.

Very, very small from glaciers.

All right.

Question six.

Sunrise, sunset.

What tiny gland near the center of the brain regulates circadian... Grand Junction Team A. Pituitary.

That is incorrect.

Classical Academy.

Hypothalamus.

That is incorrect.

By releasing the hormone melatonin.

Grand Junction Team B Medulla.

That is also incorrect.

I'm looking for pineal gland or epiphysis cerebri.

Question Seven.

Explosive and Expansive.

Mount Fiji, Mount Saint Helens and Krakatoa, Grand Junction.

Team B. Stratovolcano.

That is incorrect.

Grand junction Team A. Supervolcano.

That is incorrect.

Are all volcanoes along what Pacific ring?

Classical Academy.

Ring of Fire.

That is correct.

Question Eight.

Important and Invisible.

Although oxygen is the most vital for human respiration.

What gas?

Grand junction Team B. Ozone.

That is incorrect.

Grand Junction Team A. Nitrogen.

That is correct.

Question Nine.

Skeletal Light Weightening.

How many temporal fenestrae per side... Grand Junction Team A. Two.

Two is correct.

What is the name of the crystals found in the compressed volcanic, Grand Junction Team A?

Geode.

That is incorrect.

Volcanic ash at Dinosaur Ridge that geologists use to calculate an absolute age regarding their deposition.

Grand Junction Team B. Carbon dating.

That is incorrect.

Classical Academy.

Placer deposit.

That is incorrect.

I'm looking for zircon.

After ten questions we have our scores, at least for the first go around here.

Coming in with 4, Grand Junction Team A, 1, Classical Academy Team A, and Grand Junction Team B also has 1.

And team B, I got to congratulate you guys.

You came in with the 30ft T-Rex question.

Who had that one in their bag?

I had that.

Did you mathematically figure that out in your head?

Yeah.

So yeah, it's, I just took 2-point, I divided the 12 by two to get six, to multiply the 2.5 by two to get five times six to get 30.

So he's your math whiz in the group, all right.

And then you guys got the Ring of Fire question, right?

For all the volcanoes and that type of thing, what were you thinking when you came up with that answer?

I mean, it's kind of a confusing question, as all these questions are, but in hindsight, it is, I mean, if you look at the positions right here, here, here, I mean, it does kind of make sense in the end.

Beautiful.

And you know who Johnny Cash is?

Vaguely.

(sings) He fell into a burning ring of fire.

No, not the way I sing it, right?

And how are you guys doing?

You guys have the highest score here.

What are you guys feeling?

I think we're doing pretty good.

Doing pretty good?

Yeah.

What do you guys think?

We just, we just want to keep our momentum going, try to do the best we can.

All right, we've made it through ten questions.

It's time to continue.

So we're going to go back to Amy.

Amy?

Question 11.

Circuit Symbols.

in circuits, EMF is a quantity measured in volts... Grand Junction Team A. Electromagnetic field.

That is incorrect.

Classical Academy.

Electromagnetic Force.

That is incorrect.

Measured in volts that represents the work done per unit charged by a source.

What does EMF stand for?

Grand junction Team B?

Electromagnetic Frequency.

That is incorrect.

I was looking for ElectroMotive Force.

Question 12.

Timey Wimey.

According to Einstein's theory of special relativity, what happens to time... Grand Junction Team A?

Dilates.

That is incorrect.

Classical Academy.

Slows down.

That is correct.

Question 13.

Originally coined in a Far Side comic strip, Grand Junction Team B. Thagomizer.

That is correct.

Question 14.

Tops, Records and Planets.

What term is used for the amount of time it takes for an object... Grand junction Team A. Period.

That is correct.

Nice.

Question 15.

Dating back to the Han Dynasty in China, compasses... Grand Junction Team A. Magnetic North.

That is incorrect.

Were made using lodestones, which are naturally magnetic pieces of what mineral?

Grand Junction Team B. Iron?

That is incorrect.

Classical Academy.

Magnetite.

Magnetite is correct.

Question 16.

Slippery When Wet.

Found in hand soaps and laundry detergents... Grand Junction Team A. Talc.

That is incorrect.

Classical Academy.

Surfactants.

That is correct.

Question 17.

Credited with principles like superposition, Grand Junction Team A. Steno.

That is correct.

Question 18.

Found primarily in waters, near waters in Central and South America, what mammals bony plates... Grand Junction Team B. Pangolin.

That is incorrect.

Grand Junction Team A. Echidna.

That is incorrect.

Classical Academy.

Armadillo.

Armadillo is correct.

I appreciate the other two teams going even weirder.

By the way, that's pretty beautiful.

Okay, Question 19.

Sand in Motion.

What non-fossil sedimentary structure is often observed in sandstone and is evidence of sand particle... Grand Junction Team A. Ripple marks.

Ripple marks are correct.

Once home to the now extinct dodo, Grand Junction Team A. Mauritius.

That is correct.

After 20 questions, we have the scores here for you, coming in with 8, Grand Junction Team A. You're doing all right.

And then Classical Academy, you've got 5, and we have 2 for Grand Junction Team B, good job.

Now I know somebody had the Einstein question.

Who had the Einstein question?

You got the Einstein... Are you an Einstein fan?

Yes.

Yeah.

And you were, were you the only one with the answer to the question?

Almost certainly not.

Yeah?

Oh, you all had the answer to the question?

I have faith in everybody on this stage right now.

Yeah.

You got to keep that faith alive, right?

Oh yeah.

And who got the armadillo question?

You got that one too?

Did you know that right away?

Or did you have to think a little while about it?

No, I just think of armadillos when I think of a plated mammal.

Yeah.

Plated mammal.

There you go.

How are you guys holding up, everything good for you guys?

Well, you know, we're really excited to be here, and we're holding up, all right, but we're looking to, you know, increase our score a little bit.

You're going to bring it back.

Bring it in.

Bring it in, okay.

All right.

And Grand Junction Team A, you were, you were ahead.

You're still, kind of the the leader here.

How are you guys feeling?

You're just, feeling confident and ahead.

Are you guys worried about these guys?

I'm feeling great.

Feeling great?

What do you think?

We just want to, we just want to keep doing what we're doing.

Yeah.

Did you study enough for this finals?

I hope so, yeah.

Okay.

You got to study for the finals.

All right, we're ready to wrap this thing up.

We've got a whole bunch more questions before we find out who wins the Dino Ridge Quiz Bowl.

All right, we are down to our final ten questions.

And it could be anyone's game at this point.

So let's get to it.

Question 21.

Quick and Agile.

Popularized by their inclusion in the Jurassic Park franchise, Grand Junction Team B. Velociraptor.

That is correct.

Question 22.

Found between roughly 30 and 60 degrees latitude in both hemispheres, Grand Junction team A. Tundra.

That is incorrect.

Grand Junction Team B. The Farrell cell.

That is incorrect.

What prevailing wind belt dominates the mid-latitudes and plays a major role in driving weather systems across North America and... Classical Academy.

The jet stream.

That is incorrect.

I was looking for the Westerlies.

Question 23.

What German term refers to a sedimentary deposit, Grand Junction Team A. Karst.

That is incorrect.

...that preserves an exceptionally high amount of trace and body fossils.

Grand Junction Team B. Fault trace.

That is incorrect.

Classical Academy.

Treasure trove.

That's the right idea, but in German it's Lagerstatte, or Lagerstatten, which means lots of fossils and high-quality preservation.

All right.

Question 24.

This is a pen and paper one, if I had to guess.

I would recommend that.

Run Littlefoot!

A smaller asteroid is about to impact the Earth.

A certain dinosaur is standing exactly where it's about to strike.

If the asteroid is 75 seconds away, then in meters per second, how fast would the dinosaur have to run in order to clear the 300 meter blast zone?

Grand Junction Team A. Four.

That is correct.

Question 25.

Easy Does It.

In geology, what principle suggests that Earth's features... Grand Junction Team A. Uniformitarianism.

That is correct.

Question 26.

What order of birds are known... Grand Junction Team A. The falcons.

That is incorrect.

for their sharp vision, neck rotation of 270 degrees, Classical Academy.

Owls.

Owls is correct.

Or Strigiformes, if you want to be fancy.

All right.

Question 27.

The southern plate boundary of the North American Plate is mostly shared, Grand Junction Team A. Caribbean.

That is incorrect.

That is partially correct.

Grand junction Team B. The Caribbean and the Cocos Plate.

That is correct.

Yes.

Question 28.

Identified by their head- tail structure and the ability to infect prokaryotic cells, Grand junction Team A. Bacteriophage.

That is correct.

Question 29.

What is the geological term for the overall process of sea level rise... Grand Junction Team B. Tides.

That is incorrect.

Grand Junction Team A. Global warming.

That is incorrect.

and advance overland as seen in the Western Interior Seaway, inundating the Dakota Group depositional environment.

Classical Academy.

Tide shifts.

That is incorrect.

I'm looking for transgression.

Marine transgression.

All right.

Question 30.

Impact Statements.

The Chicxulub crater is evidence for... Grand Junction Team A. K-T extinction.

That is incorrect.

for an extinction event caused by an asteroid.

In what country is it... Classical Academy?

Mexico.

That is correct.

And that's our final question.

All right.

Quiz Bowl.

Amy tough questions this year.

Really tough.

Oh man.

And we have a winner here coming in winning the whole enchilada Grand Junction Team A with 11 points!

Come on up.

All right.

Let's go for them.

Coming in now with 7 points, Classical Academy Team A!

Come on up gang.

All right.

Good job.

And with 4 points Grand Junction Team B!

You guys did awesome.

Come on up, Grand Junction Team B!

Now we have other students that competed today.

Really, really tough today.

All you guys come on up.

We want to put you guys on, on the show here.

And we thank you for watching.

All of these, folks drove miles, in some cases to get to the Science Quiz Bowl here in Golden.

And we want to thank the Colorado School of Mines for hosting us this year.

And we thank you for watching the fifth annual Dino Ridge Science Quiz Bowl.

We are going to wrap things up here.

Had a good time, Amy?

This was a blast!

It's great to see how bright the future of Colorado is.

Beautiful.

Did you all have a good time this year?

Yeah!

All right.

We will see you next year.

Bye bye!