Students from Benson Polytechnic High School show off the latest garb and memorabilia from the upcoming BPA Regional Science Bowl 2013. The two high school division teams from Benson are set on going all the way in the competition - something the school last did 12 years ago. "It's not really how much you know, it's how much you want to go," says Rose Adrian, a junior from Benson. "When we take us back to nationals again, it will be because we want to go, and we tried our hardest and our best and got as far as we could. And if as far as we could is nationals, that's a bonus."
Portland, Ore. – As many as 130 teams of middle and high school students from across Washington and Oregon will compete in the nation’s largest regional science bowl in the coming weeks.
The Bonneville Power Administration is hosting the annual BPA Regional Science Bowl for the 22nd straight year. The middle school competition is set for Jan. 26 with the high school students taking to the buzzer on Feb. 2 at the University of Portland. The top finishing team in both divisions will travel all-expenses paid to Washington, D.C., to compete in the Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl April 25-29.
“BPA has long been a regional leader in promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, education,” said Bill Drummond, the deputy administrator of BPA. “The Science Bowl is a wonderful venue for us to encourage and celebrate these young minds, many of whom will be our future innovators and leaders in the energy industry.”
Beyond the prestige of winning and the prospects of the national competition, BPA and Science Bowl volunteers have worked to establish partnerships with area universities and colleges to offer scholarships for the top three competing teams in the high school division.
“In all, 18 colleges and universities in the Northwest have graciously lent their support with $85,000 in available scholarships to the top competing teams in order to make their own statement about the importance of science, technology, engineering and math education,” said Terry Esvelt, a BPA retiree and Science Bowl volunteer for more than two decades.
The competition is very real for those buzzing in, particularly among the high school division.
“The most nerve-racking thing is the atmosphere,” says Theo Nguyen, an eleventh-grader from Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland with a double major in manufacturing and electric. “We sit down, we’re told not to speak with each other, and we have a goal to meet. There’s a lot of pressure on each one of us to help our team.”
For fellow Benson teammate Rose Adrian, a junior majoring in communications, the pressure comes after an answer is given.
“When you buzz in and say the answer, and the judge pauses: That is the worst moment,” she says with a laugh. “The majority of the time, the judge is just re-reading the answer, making sure they got it right and heard you right. But it’s that instant – it’s really only a millisecond, but it feels like a week – and you’re like, ‘AM I RIGHT?’”
The middle school division is typically less fierce than the high school competition, but the students are just as dedicated.
For Dawn Land, the coach of an all-home-schooled team in Olympia, Wash., this competition gave her another outlet to encourage her sixth-grade daughter, Daphne, in her love of science. Not only does Daphne love Bill Nye, the Science Guy, she also just finished reading “Bomb: The Race to Build – and Steal – the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon” by Steve Sheinkin.
“It was really the desire to find interesting opportunities for her that brought about this team,” Land says. “My philosophy on home schooling, which is shared by many home-schooling parents, is that home schooling should provide more possibilities for our children. If we can’t find an opportunity, we make one. And that’s what I did.”
Land reached out to other home-school families in the Olympia area via Facebook to establish the team. That team holds its meetings both at a home in Puyallup as well as the Gig Harbor Library.
In addition to the competition, throughout the day, demonstrations and hands-on activities will take place at the event site. In the afternoon, a separate engineering competition allows teams that have not advanced to the double elimination to test their engineering and design skills in a hands-on project.
Both divisions will feature special speakers who will share their own unique experiences with science and technology:
- At the middle school competition, Evan Thomas, assistant professor and director of the SWEETLab (Sustainable Water, Energy and Environmental Technologies) at Portland State University, will share his experiences in researching, designing and distributing sustainable systems for water purification, cooking, heating and sanitation to populations in need around the world. He’ll also talk about technologies his lab is developing for sustaining life aboard spacecraft.
- At the high school competition, John Miller, the chief technology officer for FLIR Systems, based in Wilsonville, Ore., will discuss the many applications of infrared technology. He will draw on his experiences, ranging from conducting infrared investigations on the left wing of the space shuttle Columbia to the first thermal measurements of Haley’s Comet, to expose students to the opportunities available in a science career. Miller has written four textbooks and more than 60 professional and academic papers, as well as provided briefs for national and congressional committees and two U.S. presidents.
The more than 600 students in the competition come from public and private schools in western Washington and western and central Oregon – from as far north as Bellingham to as far south as Ashland. Many of the students will practice for months in advance of the competition in both group and self study. The competition is as intense as any sporting event, particularly at the high school level.
“To a ‘T,’ these teams are motivated by a love of science – they’re energetic, passionate and get into the spirit of the competition,” Drummond said. “One of the things we get to do is to celebrate that passion – students have a multitude of opportunities to be recognized for athletic accomplishment through school-sponsored and club sports, but there are precious few venues for students to be recognized for academic prowess. We want these students to feel good and special about their commitment to science, technology, engineering and math.”
The BPA Regional Science Bowl is sponsored by the University of Portland, Alstom Grid and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
BPA Regional Science Bowl 2013
Where: Franz Hall, University of Portland, Portland, Ore.
When: Jan. 26, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Middle School); Feb. 2, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (High School)
Notes: The event is free to attend and open to the public. Championship rounds begin at 4 p.m. and take place in Buckley Auditorium.