10 May 2005

Regional Middle School Science Bowl to be Held at the New Jersey Education Association May 14 Eleven Trenton Middle School Teams to Participate

Trenton, New Jersey — The New Jersey Education Association in Trenton will be transformed Saturday into a site for a Jeopardy!-like tournament for middle school students in which all the categories are disciplines of science. Eleven teams from six Trenton schools are scheduled to compete on May 14 in the Trenton Regional Competition of the National Middle School Science Bowl®. The competition, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in Trenton, is organized by the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). This is the second year the Laboratory is organizing the bowl that includes two portions — a model hydrogen fuel-cell car competition and an academic, fast-pace question-and-answer contest in which students answer questions about earth, physical, life, and general sciences, and math. Each team is made up of four students, a student alternate, and a teacher who serves as an advisor and coach. "The students who built and race model hydrogen fuel cell cars Saturday may be among the future scientists and engineers helping to make the President's hydrogen fuel initiative (vision) a reality," said James Morgan, PPPL Science Education Program Administrator. Morgan and PPPL's Chris Ritter co-organized the event. Participating schools in the double-elimination tournament this year are: Columbus School, Dunn Middle School, Hedgepeth-Williams Middle School, Kilmer Elementary School, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, and the Trenton Community Charter School. The top winner of the regional middle school competition will receive an all-expense paid trip to Golden, Colo., to participate in the National Middle School Science Bowl®, scheduled in June, 2005. The regional middle school competition is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the New Jersey Education Association. PPPL, funded by the DOE and managed by Princeton University, is a collaborative national center for science and innovation leading to an attractive fusion energy source. Representatives of the media are invited to attend the Regional Middle School Science Bowl at the New Jersey Education Association, 180 West State Street, Trenton. The model car and question-and-answer competitions will be ongoing from 9:30 a.m. until early to mid-afternoon. For further information, please contact: Anthony R. DeMeo Head, Information Services Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (609) 243-2755 ademeo@pppl.gov Patricia Wieser Information Services Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (609) 243-2757 pwieser@pppl.gov

PPPL is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by Princeton University.

About PPPL || How to Contact PPPL || News at PPPL || Fusion Basics Research Projects || Technology Transfer || Education Programs Publications || Meetings and Colloquia || PPPL Home Page

Created: 10 May 2005 Send questions or comments to: Anthony R. DeMeo at ademeo@pppl.gov