For release: Jan. 29, 2000
Contacts:
Steve Karsjen, Science Bowl coordinator, (515) 294-5643
Susan Dieterle, Public Affairs, (515) 294-1405
AMES, Iowa -- Ames High School today won the regional Science Bowl sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University, marking the school's fourth title in the 10-year history of the event.
"This is one of our better teams," said Ames coach Kirk Daddow, who also coached the school's winning teams in 1996, 1995 and 1994. "They're going to be very competitive at the national level."
Central Academy of Des Moines took second place in the Ames Lab/ISU Science Bowl, while Cedar Falls High School took third. Forty-seven Iowa high schools participated in the daylong competition, held in ISU's Memorial Union. Each school was represented by a team of up to five students who answered questions from a broad range of science and math topics during the fast-paced event.
Ames High School now advances to DOE's National Science Bowl on May 5-8 in Chevy Chase, Md. The Ames Lab/ISU Science Bowl is one of more than 60 regional Department of Energy competitions throughout the nation.
The five students on Ames' team said they had little time to practice together in the weeks prior to today's event because of conflicting schedules. "This morning, I had a hard time remembering who was on the team," said Ames senior Seth Zenz.
But because the students participate on other academic teams for Ames, they felt confident about their chances. And although the lack of practice sessions didn't seem to hurt the team in the regional competition, the National Science Bowl is a different matter, Daddow said.
"We've really got to get together now and do some work," Daddow said.
Along with Zenz, the Ames team includes Dexter Chan, Laura Lutz, Shawn Sebastian and Jonathan Schoeller.
A record number of teams participated in this year's Ames Lab/ISU Science Bowl. Organizers expanded the competition, formerly limited to 40 teams, because of growing interest from schools throughout the state.
The competing students answered questions dealing with astronomy, biology, physics, chemistry, computer science, earth science, general science and current events in the scientific and technical community. The 16 teams that fared the best in the morning rounds advanced to a double-elimination competition in the afternoon.
Approximately 90 faculty and staff members from Ames Laboratory and ISU served as moderators, judges, timekeepers and scorekeepers during the event.
Since the inception of the DOE Science Bowl in 1991, more than 60,000 students have participated in the regional and national competitions.
Ames Laboratory is operated for the Department of Energy by Iowa State University. The Lab conducts research into various areas of national concern, including energy resources, high-speed computer design, environmental cleanup and restoration, and the synthesis and study of new materials.
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Last updated: 1/29/2000