Colorado Students Head to National Science Competition

Golden, Colo., April 9, 1999 — Two teams of Colorado high school students will head to our nation's capital to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Science Bowl April 30 - May 3. Students from Smoky Hill High School in Aurora and Fairview High School in Boulder placed first in regional Science Bowl competitions earlier this year and will represent Colorado at the national competition.

Sixty-four teams who won regional competitions across the country are expected to face off in the rapid-fire question and answer tournament that focuses on physics, math, biology, astronomy, chemistry, computers and the earth sciences. Each team is composed of four students, one alternate and a teacher who serves as adviser and coach.

The Smoky Hill High School team won the opportunity to participate in the national competition by placing first in the Denver Regional Science Bowl, where it competed last February with student teams from metro Denver and southern Colorado. DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden Field Office and Denver Regional Support Office organized and sponsored the event.

The Fairview High School team won top honors in January in a similar competition for northern Colorado hosted by DOE's Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site and the Western Area Power Administration. Students from the winning Colorado teams will gear up for the national competition at a practice session April 20 at NREL. The team that places first at the National Science Bowl will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Sidney, Australia. Second and third place winners will travel to DOE's Savannah River Site in South Carolina or Hanford Site in Washington for a week of hands-on science activities.

DOE began the National Science Bowl nine years ago to help stimulate interest in science and math. The competition has evolved into one of the Energy Department's premier education programs.

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