Oak Ridge High first in Tennessee Science Bowl, headed to D.C. in April

ORHS team will compete in National Science Bowl

High school students from across Tennessee competed on Saturday, Feb. 22, at Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus, in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Tennessee Science Bowl competition. Fifty-five high school teams comprised of four students, and one alternate student, answered challenging mathematical problems and tested their knowledge in broad disciplines including chemistry, biology, earth and space science, physics, and energy.

Training for months after school, the student competitors committed hours of study to expanding and honing their mathematics and science knowledge and competition skills. And, all their work showed. Many of the competition rounds came down to the last nail-biting seconds before a winner emerged. However, in the end, Oak Ridge High’s Team 1 edged out their competitors, placing first.

Oak Ridge High School received a $1,000 cash prize, a first-place trophy, and an all-expenses-paid trip to the DOE National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., from April 24-28, when they will compete against other winning teams from around the nation.

Trophies and cash prizes were also awarded to the second-, third-, and fourth-place winning teams: Farragut High School Team 1 (Farragut) received $750 for taking second place; the third place team, Hardin Valley Academy (Knoxville) received $500; and, the fourth place team, Ravenwood High School Team 1 (Brentwood), received $250. The winner of the Civility Award, given to the team that most consistently demonstrates sportsmanship characteristics, was also awarded to Ravenwood High School Team 1. They received a check for $100.

“Student participants in the Tennessee Science Bowl devote countless hours to training with the guidance of their dedicated teachers and coaches,” said Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office Manager Johnny Moore. “Today, perhaps more than any previous time, it is vital to the nation and world to develop youth well versed in science and math. These future scientists and engineers are the very people that will be able to face and solve the challenging technical issues facing the world.”

Sponsoring an event of this size requires numerous volunteers and hours of their time, as well as financial support. Without this level of assistance, the event would not be possible. Major sponsors of the Tennessee Science Bowl include DOE, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Pellissippi State Community College, and Tennessee Valley Authority.

Since its inception 24 years ago, the Office of Science’s National Science Bowl has attracted more than 225,000 students and has become one of the nation’s largest science competitions. This year, more than 9,500 high school students and 4,500 middle school students will compete in 70 high school and 50 middle school regional Science Bowl competitions. Many participants will likely go on to become scientists and teachers, engineers, and leaders. But to reach the National Finals, they need to win their regional competition against teams of other bright students.