NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Some of the brightest young minds in the Commonwealth will meet at the Department of Energy's Jefferson Lab on Saturday, Feb. 7, to compete in the Virginia Regional High School Science Bowl. Twenty-two teams, representing high schools from across the region, are registered for this year's academic competition.
The National Science Bowl tournament - sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy since 1991 – is an annual competition among teams of students. The teams face off in an intense question-and-answer format where contestants are quizzed on their knowledge in all science disciplines, including astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, general science, mathematics and physics.
"These events champion an interest in science, math and engineering among our nation's youth," notes Jan Tyler, Jefferson Lab's Science Education manager.
The top three teams from this event will earn cash prizes and team trophies for their respective schools. The top team also wins an expenses-paid trip to the Science Bowl Nationals to be held near Washington, D.C., April 30 to May 5.
The public is invited to attend the semifinal and final rounds of the Feb. 7 competition at Jefferson Lab, which will run from 1:30-5 p.m. in Jefferson Lab's CEBAF Center auditorium located at 12000 Jefferson Ave., Newport News. For security purposes, visitors must enter at Jefferson Lab's main entrance (Onnes Dr.). Everyone 16 and older is asked to carry a valid photo I.D., and security guards may perform parcel and vehicle inspections.
"The DOE's Science Bowl competition encourages our nation's students to become the next generation of innovators. This tough competition is a training ground for young minds that may become tomorrow's leaders in scientific discovery. Encouraging and nurturing interest in and knowledge of science, math and technology will help ensure America's strong competitive edge for decades to come," Tyler adds.
The DOE Office of Science’s Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists program, which manages the National Science Bowl, has a number of programs designed to train the next generation of scientists and engineers with the goal of helping to maintain the nation’s scientific and technological leadership. DOE launched the National Science Bowl program for high-school and middle-school students to encourage students to choose an education in the sciences and engineering.
Jefferson Lab will host the Virginia Regional Middle School Science Bowl on Saturday, March 7.
Virginia high schools registered for the Feb. 7 event include (in alphabetical order):
Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School, Virginia Beach
Broadwater Academy, Exmore
Charlottesville High School, Charlottesville
Douglas Freeman High School, Richmond
Floyd E. Kellam High School, Virginia Beach
Gloucester High School, Gloucester
Grafton High School, Yorktown
Hickory High School, Chesapeake
Langley High School, McLean
Mount Vernon High School, Alexandria
Nansemond River High School, Suffolk
New Kent High School, New Kent
Northampton High School, Eastville
Northside High School, Roanoke
Piedmont Governor's School for Mathematics, Science and Technology, Collinsville
Princess Anne High School, Virginia Beach
Robert E. Lee High School, Springfield
St. Christopher's School, Richmond
St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School, Alexandria
The Governor's School for Science and Technology, Hampton
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria
Woodbridge Senior High School, Woodbridge
To learn more about DOE's National Science Bowl competition, visit: http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/nsb/index.html
For more information about the National High School Science Bowl, visit: http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/nsb/
Check out the types of questions students will answer at: www.scied.science.doe.gov/nsb/samplqs.htm
View DOE's 2009 Science Bowl press release at: http://www.energy.gov/news/6852.htm