Western sponsors future science and math leaders

What property of a sound wave is most commonly associated with loudness? How many significant figures are in the number 0.00750? What is the proper name of the star that is most commonly noted to have coordinates closest to the north celestial pole?

High school students across Western’s service area faced questions like these at Western Regional Science Bowl competitions February and March. Western hosted six preliminary, regional competitions for the Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl.  The winners include:

• Rocky Mountain Regional competition sees Ft. Collins winner: Ridgeview Classical High School of Fort Collins, Colo., won the RM Regional Science Bowl held at Colorado State University, Feb. 5.
• Sierra Nevada Regional winner defends title:  Mira Loma High School Team A won the Sacramento Regional Science Bowl, Feb. 5. This is the fifteenth straight year that Mira Loma High School won top honors.
• Third time winner at North Dakota regional bowl: Grand Forks Red River took first place at ND’s Regional Science Bowl, Feb. 12. This is their third consecutive championship win.
• South Dakota Regional competition produces top honors: The Quiz Bowl Team from Vermillion High School won the SD Regional Science Bowl, held Feb. 12. Along with being the top team, Vermillion also had the top individual scorer.
• Upper Great Plains regional winner triumphs competition: Helena High School of Billings, SD, clinched the Big Sky Regional Science Bowl championship at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center, Feb. 12.
• Desert Southwest Regional competition sends on champions: Arizona Desert Vista High School was the victors of the Arizona Regional Science Bowl, March 5, at Glendale Community College in Glendale, Ariz.

Winning teams from Western-sponsored regional competitions earned an all-expenses-paid trip to the national competition in Washington, DC, April 28 through May 2.

DOE launched its National Science Bowl competition in 1991 to encourage high school students to excel in science and math and to pursue careers in those fields. It now involves more than 4,500 students.

For more information about the national competition, visit DOE’s Science Bowl website.