21st Annual Department of Energy National Science Bowl April

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21st Annual Department of Energy National Science Bowl April 30 - May 2
110 High School and Middle School Teams from Across the U.S. to Compete for the National Championships in Washington D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu announced today that on April 30 through May 2 the DOE will host 69 high school and 41 middle school teams to compete for championship titles at the 21st annual National Science Bowl competition in Washington, D.C. The 110 regional championship teams – from 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands – will be quizzed on various science topics including biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, astronomy, and energy, as well as math.

“The U.S. needs the best and the brightest scientists and engineers to help solve many of our nation’s greatest challenges,” said Secretary Chu. “The National Science Bowl engages students in a fun and rewarding competition, and encourages them to direct their talents toward careers in science, mathematics, and technology.”

The middle school question and answer competition begins on Saturday, April 30th at the National 4-H Conference Center in Chevy Chase, MD, while high school students participate in hands-on science experiments, seminars and lectures. The high school question and answer competition will begin on Sunday, May 1st. On Sunday the middle school teams will be at the Bethesda Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda, MD racing model hydrogen fuel cell cars that they have designed and built.

High school and middle school championship rounds will be held Monday, May 2 in the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Secretary Chu will make remarks and present awards at the ceremony to follow.

The high school championship team will win a two-week trip to the International Science School in Sydney, Australia. The winner of the high school Civility Award for sportsmanlike conduct will travel to Alaska for a nine-day scientific/outdoor excursion. Additional prizes include $500-$1000 awards toward schools’ science departments, scholarships, trophies, plaques, electronic book readers and gift certificates.

The Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl is the nation's largest academic competition of its kind. More than 14,000 students from 1800 schools participated in regional science bowl competitions this year. DOE supports mathematics and science education to help provide a technically trained and diverse workforce for the nation.

Before the competition begins, the media may make arrangements to interview the teams in Washington, D.C. or to receive photographs of the teams during the competition by calling the DOE press office at (202) 586-4940. During the competition, media may call the DOE Science Bowl press office at (301) 961-2854.

For the list of the middle school and high school teams, to watch the webcast of the national championships and for additional information about the National Science Bowl visit http://science.energy.gov/nsb/.

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