Ward Melville Wins Top Honors at Brookhaven Lab's Regional High School Science Bowl

January 28, 2014

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In an exciting finish, Ward Melville High School took the top award at Brookhaven National Laboratory's/Long Island Regional High School Science Bowl. Members of the winning team (left to right): Eidan Jacob, Akilesh Tangella, Harrison Li, Coach Robert Spira, Rajiv Moturu, and Jake Welde.

Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, NY, won the Brookhaven National Laboratory/Long Island Regional High School Science Bowl held at the Lab on Saturday, January 25.  Ward Melville competed against 20 teams from across the region in one of the nation's 70 regional competitions of the 24th Annual U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl®. The winning teams will be awarded an all-expenses-paid trip to the National Finals in Washington, D.C., scheduled for April 24-28. 

In an exciting finish, Ward Melville came from behind to beat Great Neck South High School to win the competition.  Commack High School took third place, and Farmingdale High School was the fourth-place division winner.

"The National Science Bowl challenges students to excel and heightens their interest in fields vital to America's continued scientific advancement," Energy Secretary Moniz said. "Congratulations to these students for advancing to the National Finals. I wish them the best of luck in the competition."

The competition brings together thousands of middle and high school students from across the country to compete in a range of disciplines including biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, astronomy, and math. During the competition, more than 9,500 high school students and 4,500 middle school students will compete at 70 high school and 50 middle school regional Science Bowl tournaments. Students, in teams of four or five, compete in a fast-paced quiz-show format, in which they solve technical problems and answer questions.  The team answering the most questions correctly wins the top honor. Most teams are coached by teachers from the students' schools and spend several months preparing for the regional competitions. The regional tournaments, which host 15 to 50 teams, are sponsored by federal agencies, national laboratories, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations. 

In the competition at Brookhaven, participating students received a Science Bowl t-shirt, and winning teams also received trophies and cash awards. Prizes are courtesy of Brookhaven Lab's event sponsor, Brookhaven Science Associates, the company that manages and operates the Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy.

History of the National Science Bowl 

The Department of Energy (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 225,000 students have participated in the National Science Bowl throughout its 23-year history. It is the nation's largest science competition.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science manages the National Science Bowl®, and sponsors the National Science Bowl® finals competition. More information about these events is available on the National Science Bowl® website.

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