R.C. Murphy Jr. High School Wins First and Second Prizes in Science Bowl at Brookhaven Lab

Longwood Jr. High School Takes First Place in Hydrogen Car Challenge

UPTON, NY — Teams from R.C. Murphy Jr. High School won first and second place at the Regional Middle School Science Bowl held March 7 at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory. One hundred students from fifteen Long Island middle schools participated in the question-and-answer academic tournament designed to test students’ knowledge of life science, physical science, mathematics, earth science, and general science.

Science Bowl Winners enlarge

With their coaches Robert Haas (right) and Patrick McManus (left) are the R.C. Murphy Jr. High School first-place winners of the Middle School Science Bowl at Brookhaven Lab: (from left) John Connor, Akilesh Tangella, Kirpal Kochar, Upasna Malhotra, and Harrison Li.

Commack Middle School won third place in the Science Bowl academic contest, and Long Island Lutheran Middle School won fourth place.

Longwood Jr. High School won first place in the hydrogen fuel-cell model car competition, in which students design, build and race model cars using energy from a hydrogen fuel-cell. The team’s car raced down the ten-meter track in 4.37 seconds. The team from Bellport Middle School took second place, with 4.87 seconds to send their car down the track, and Eastport/South Manor Middle School took third place, with their car speeding down the track in 5 seconds.

First-place winners of the hydrogen fuel-cell model car competition enlarge

With their coaches Karen Newman (right) and Michaelann Jannsen (left) are the first-place winners of the hydrogen fuel-cell model car competition from Longwood Jr. High School: (from left) Daniel Chaffkin, Shane Lewis, Indranil Mitra, Aidea Downie, and Valentino Gotay.

The Regional Science Bowl at Brookhaven Lab is part of the National Science Bowl® coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. In 2008, more than 3,000 students participated in 36 regional events throughout the nation. By participating in this “Jeopardy”-style academic contest and model hydrogen fuel-cell car competition, students are encouraged to excel in science and math and to pursue careers in those fields.

Each student in the winning teams received a medal, and each winning team received a trophy for its school. R.C. Murphy Jr. High School will represent the Long Island region in the National Science Bowl®, which will be held in Washington, DC, from April 30 – May 5, 2009. The U.S. Department of Energy will fund the team’s trip.

2009-10924  |  INT/EXT  |  Newsroom