NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Some of the brightest young minds in the Commonwealth will meet at the U.S. Department of Energy's Jefferson Lab on Saturday, Feb. 1, to compete in the Virginia Regional High School Science Bowl. Teams from 23 schools are registered for this year's academic competition.
The National Science Bowl tournament – sponsored by the 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 of math and a range of science disciplines, including biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics and astronomy.
"These events champion an interest in science, math and engineering among our nation's youth," notes Jan Tyler, Jefferson Lab's Science Education manager and National Science Bowl coordinator.
The top three teams earn cash prizes and team trophies for their respective schools. The top team also wins an expenses-paid trip to the Finals of the National Science Bowl to be held in Washington, D.C., April 24-28.
"Competition like this encourages our nation's youth to become the next generation of scientists, engineers and innovators. Nurturing interest in and knowledge of science, math and technology will help ensure America's strong competitive edge," Tyler adds.
Jefferson Lab will also host the Virginia Regional Middle School Science Bowl on Saturday, March 1.
The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science manages the National Science Bowl, and sponsors the NSB finals competition. The Department of Energy's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. The Office of Science supports a diverse portfolio of research at more than 300 colleges and universities nationwide, manages 10 world-class national laboratories with unmatched capabilities for solving complex interdisciplinary scientific problems, and builds and operates the world’s finest suite of scientific facilities and instruments. In Fiscal Year 2012 more than 29,000 researchers from academia, industry, and government laboratories, spanning all fifty states and the District of Columbia, used these unique facilities to perform new scientific research. For more information on DOE’s Office of Science, visit: www.science.energy.gov.
Virginia schools registered for the Feb. 1 event include (in alphabetical order):
Atlee High School, Mechanicsville
Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School, Virginia Beach
Charlottesville High School, Charlottesville
Colonial Heights High School, Colonial Heights
Floyd E. Kellam High School, Virginia Beach
Gloucester High School, Gloucester
Hampton High School, Hampton
Hickory High School, Chesapeake
Langley High School, McLean
McLean High School, McLean
Menchville High School, Newport News
Mount Vernon High School, Alexandria
New Horizons Governor's School for Science and Technology, Hampton
Patrick Henry High School, Ashland
Patriot High School, Nokesville
Piedmont Governor's School for Mathematics, Science and Technology, Danville
Princess Anne High School, Virginia Beach
Saint Stephen's & St. Agnes School, Alexandria
Seton School, Manassas
St. Christopher's School, Richmond
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria
Woodbridge Senior High School, Woodbridge
Warwick High School, Newport News
Learn more about DOE's National Science Bowl competition at: http://science.energy.gov/wdts/nsb/
Science Bowl rules, the locations of regional high school competitions and sample questions are posted at: http://science.energy.gov/wdts/nsb/high-school/high-school-students/
Contact: Deb Magaldi, Jefferson Lab Public Affairs, ph. 757-269-5102, magaldi@jlab.org