Students from California and Indiana Win DOE’s 23rd National Science Bowl

Washington D.C. – Students from Mira Loma High School from Sacramento, Calif. won the 2013 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Science Bowl today in Washington D.C. This year's championship team in the middle school competition is Creekside Middle School from Carmel, Ind.

"Congratulations to our new National Science Bowl Champions, as well as to all of the finalists," said Acting Secretary of Energy Secretary Daniel B. Poneman. "They represent America's future in science, technology and engineering. As leaders of the next generation of our Nation's innovators, they can sharpen America's competitive edge in a rapidly-advancing world."

Mira Loma High School defeated North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics from Durham, N.C. by correctly answering a medical question about which damaged cranial nerve would account for a list of specific symptoms, including facial muscle paralysis and an inability to wrinkle the forehead. The members of the winning high school team are: Saaket Agrawal, Siddharth Trehan, Daniel Shen, and Jack Gurev. They were coached by James Hill.

The top two high school teams emerged victorious from a field of 69 high school regional champions who came to D.C. to compete in the National Science Bowl Finals. Altogether, more than 9,000 high school students on 1,894 teams participated this year in 69 high school regional competitions, which were held in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

For winning the national championship, the Mira Loma High School students will receive a nine-day, all-expense paid science trip to Alaska. While on the trip, the students will take day trips that provide learning opportunities about glaciology, marine and avian biology, geology and plate tectonics. They will explore the Copper River Delta, known for its highly prized stocks and prolific runs of wild salmon; experience the mystical appeal of old-growth hemlock and spruce while hiking through the Chugach National Forest; white-water raft on the Sheridan River and travel across the scenic Prince William Sound and Orca Inlet, home to the world's largest population of sea otters. The trip also includes visits to Childs Glacier and the Alaska Wildlife Center, which is a rehabilitation facility for injured and orphaned wildlife.

For finishing second, the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics students will receive a five-day, fully guided adventure tour of the Great Salt Lake Park, Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. They will hike along the Continental Divide, go white-water rafting down the Snake River and swim in the Great Salt Lake Park before seeing Yellowstone's geysers, canyons and other geological formations as well as the West Yellowstone Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. They also will hike at Jenny Lake for spectacular observations of wildlife and tour the Upper Snake River Canyon.

The top three high school teams received trophies and individual medals, and the top 16 high school teams won $1,000 for their schools' science departments.

High School Finalists:

Second place North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics team members are: Tejas Sundaresan, Calvin Deng, Ashwin Monian, Yu Wang, and Sammy Luo. They were coached by Leslie Brinson.

The third place team was Lexington High School from Lexington, Mass. Team members are: Alan Zhou, Zaroug Jaleel, Jonathan Tidor, Matthew Shorter, and Peijin Zhang. They were coached by Nicholas Gould.

The fourth place team was University High School from Irvine, California. Team members are: Kevin Lee Jiho Park, Justin Wang, Carl Lundstedt, and Kevin Chen. They were coached by David Knight.

The other 12 high school teams receiving $1,000 for their schools' science departments are:

  • Mission San Jose High School, Fremont, Calif.
  • North Hollywood High School, North Hollywood, Calif.
  • Tehachapi High School, Tehachapi, Calif.
  • Walton High School, Marietta, Ga.
  • Illinois Math and Science Academy, Aurora, Ill.
  • Carmel High School, Carmel, Ind.
  • Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Lexington, Ky.
  • Baton Rouge Magnet High School, Baton Rouge, La.
  • West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, Princeton Junction, N.J.
  • Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School, Austin, Texas
  • John Foster Dulles High School, Sugar Land, Texas
  • Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Va.

In the middle school competition of the Energy Department's National Science Bowl, Creekside Middle School defeated Takoma Park Middle School from Silver Spring, Md. The members of the winning middle school team are Brendan Yap, Melissa Yap, Anthony Ji, Asim Dhungana, and Caleb He. They were coached by Karmen Hamachek.

Approximately 5,000 middle school students on 1,023 teams also participated this year in 46 regional competitions in 33 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The top eight middle school teams in the academic competition won $1,000 for their schools' science departments and the top three teams received trophies and individual medals.

Middle School Finalists:

Second place Takoma Park Middle School team members are: David Wu, Elliot Kienzle Noah Singer, Anish Senapati, and John Lathrop. They were coached by Rebecca Epling.

The third place team was Hopkins Junior High School from Fremont, Calif. Team members are: Catherine Zeng, Jeffrey Liu, Tomas Choi, David Hsu, and Sayan Ghosh. They were coached by Anja Crickmore and Paul Cornett.

The fourth place team was Treasure Valley Math and Science Center from Boise, Idaho. Team members are: Aditya Shekar, Caleb Batten, Derek Stein, Lee Bousfield, and Luke Harmon. They were coached by Julie Ekhoff.

The other four middle school teams receiving $1,000 for their schools' science departments are:

  • The Harker School, San Jose, Calif.
  • Marvin P. Baker Middle School, Corpus Christi, Texas
  • Odle Middle School - Team Atom, Bellevue, Wash.
  • Suncrest Middle School, Morgantown, W.Va.

DOE created the National Science Bowl in 1991 to encourage students to excel in mathematics and science and to pursue careers in these fields. More than 225,000 students have participated in the National Science Bowl since its creation. Students may sign up for next year's competition beginning in October.

DOE's Office of Science manages the National Science Bowl and sponsors the finals competition.

Additional information about the teams and photos of the National Science Bowl are available at: