JFK Middle School Wins Science Bowl at Brookhaven Lab

Bellport Takes Second Place in Science Bowl and First Place in Hydrogen Car Contest

April 7, 2006

UPTON, NY - The John F. Kennedy Middle School team won first place in the Regional Middle School Science Bowl competition held April 1 at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory. Eighty students from nine Long Island middle schools participated in the fast-paced question-and-answer tournament designed to test the students' knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, astronomy, earth science, and general science.

The Bellport Middle School team took second place in the academic contest and first place in the second part of the Science Bowl - a hydrogen fuel-cell model car race, in which students design, build and race model cars. The team's car took 19.48 seconds to race down a 10-meter-long track.

William Floyd Middle School placed third in the academic competition, and Commack Middle School came in fourth. R.C. Murphy Junior High School took second-place in the model car race with a time of 25.7 seconds, and Commack High School came in third, with their car taking 32.6 seconds to traverse the track.

The Regional Science Bowl at Brookhaven Lab is part of the National Science Bowl® competition coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. Last year, more than 2,000 students participated in 24 regional events throughout the nation.

By participating in the competition, students are encouraged to excel in science and math and to pursue careers in those fields.

All the winning teams received a trophy, and the John F. Kennedy Middle School team will represent the Long Island region in the National Science Bowl®, which will be held in Denver, Colorado, from June 21-24, 2006. The U.S. Department of Energy will fund the team's all-expense-paid trip.

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The John F. Kennedy Middle School team members include (from left): Katerina Sperl, Nicolette Randazzo, Deepak Ravi, David Lawrence, and Andrew Shindler. Joining the team (from left) are coaches Jennifer Watklevicz, Chris Kowalski, and Steven Nielson. To the far right is Peter Faletra from the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Workforce Development. (Click on the image to download a high-resolution version.)

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Bellport Middle School team members include (from left): Caitlin Mulcahy, Mary Campbell, Katherine Betuel, Katie O'Connor, and Gregory Borri. Joining them (from left) are Catherine Osiecki from Brookhaven Lab's Office of Educational Programs, alternate coach Paul O'Connor, coach Danielle Gabriel, and Peter Faletra, DOE's Office of Workforce Development. (Click on the image to download a high-resolution version.)

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