Students from Maryland and California Win DOE’s 26th National Science Bowl®
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Students from Montgomery Blair High School from Silver Spring, Md. won the 2016 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Science Bowl® (NSB) today in Washington D.C. This year's championship team in the middle school competition is Joaquin Miller Middle School from San Jose, Calif.
"I congratulate this year's National Science Bowl® Champions, Montgomery Blair High School and Joaquin Miller Middle School, and all of the finalists for their achievement in this highly competitive academic tournament. I encourage these future scientists and engineers to continue in their STEM studies and become the innovators who will power our future," said Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. "The National Science Bowl® showcases the next generation of American science and technology leaders. Their success will inspire students to compete to win next year!"
Altogether, about 9,000 high school students and 5,100 middle school students from all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands participated in this year's regional competitions. In the high school competition, Montgomery Blair High School defeated Lynbrook High School from San Jose, Calif. by correctly answering the physics question, "Material A has a bulk modulus that is twice the bulk modulus of material B. If both A and B have the same densities, by what factor must the speed of sound in B be multiplied to find the speed of sound in A?" with the correct answer, "√2." The members of the winning high school team are Eric Lu, Arnold Mong, James Vinson, Alex Miao, and Elliot Kienzle, and they are coached by Tran Pham.
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. For winning the national championship, the Montgomery Blair High School team 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 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. 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 Lynbrook High School team 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 school's science departments. In the middle school competition, Joaquin Miller Middle School defeated Sycamore School from Indianapolis. The members of the winning middle school team are Chinmay Lalgudi, Emily Liu, Milan Ganai, Sathvika Anand, and Jonathan Huang, and they are coached by Zhijie Xiong and Vibha Walia.
The top two middle school teams emerged victorious from a field of 47 middle school regional champions who came to D.C. to compete in the National Science Bowl® Finals. The top 16 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.
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 265,000 students have participated in the National Science Bowl® since its creation. Students may sign up to compete in next year's National Science Bowl® 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 the National Science Bowl® is available at: http://science.energy.gov/wdts/nsb/.
