First place, Los Alamos High School Team One, from left, Anna Simakov, Jack Harris, Linnhtet Htoon, Minhtet Htoon and Drew Bacrania. (Photo Courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Students from Los Alamos have once again proven that when it comes to science and math, they know their stuff.
They were among the science and math buffs from seven New Mexico high schools who gathered this weekend at Albuquerque Academy for the Department of Energy Regional Science Bowl, sponsored by Sandia National Laboratories.
Los Alamos High School’s “Team One” emerged victorious, as did their younger counterparts from Los Alamos Middle School during their February competition.
Both teams are now headed to the Department of Energy National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C.
First place Los Alamos Middle School team, from left, Rafa Rocha, Aven Heavner, Kevin Zou, Julia Zou and Amelia Dolejsi. (Photo courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.
The science bowl is a fast-paced question-and-answer competition that assesses students’ knowledge across various disciplines such as biology, earth and space science, physics, energy and math. The intensity is palpable as students have just a few seconds to respond to questions.
Students like Drew Bacrania describe it as a competition like none other.
“It’s great; the people here are awesome, it’s super fun,” said Bacrania, who was part of the winning team from Los Alamos Middle School last year.
This year, he competed on one of the high school teams as a freshman and once again emerged victorious. Like many from Los Alamos, he grew up surrounded by science.
“My mom, dad and stepdad are all trained in science,” Bacrania said. “One is an electrical engineer, and the other two are physicists.”
Second place, La Cueva High School, from left, Ishaan Bhatt, Aditya Koushik, Lucas Riley, Joaquin Headley and Joseph Wang. (Photo courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.
He said he’s excited to return to D.C., where they not only get to compete in the Science Bowl but meet new people from all over the country.
His classmate, Lydia Davis from “Team Two” did not advance to nationals this time but said she’s determined to return next year.
“I really like learning about the world and how it works,” Davis said. “It’s really fascinating to me. I feel like at first it was because I was good at science. Now I’ve grown a love for it.”
Third place, Albuquerque Academy, from left, Coach Mackenzie Gibbs, Dhruv Grandhe, Jack Yu, Aarush Tutiki and Akilan Sankaran. (Photo courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.
In total, 14 teams from seven New Mexico high schools participated, including: Albuquerque Academy, Santa Fe Preparatory School, Eldorado, La Cueva, Logan, Los Alamos and Santa Fe.
One of La Cueva High School’s teams came in second, followed by a team from Albuquerque Academy.
In the middle school competition, Albuquerque Academy secured second place, followed by Eisenhower Middle School.
Middle school second place, Albuquerque Academy, from left, Nishta Koli, Krish Mahto, Anna Kalugin, Harika Reddy, Eddy Bielejec and Coach Joelle Shaw. (Photo courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.
The National Science Bowl, scheduled for April 25 – 29, offers an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. featuring science activities, sightseeing and competitions.
The top middle school and high school teams at the national competition will win $5,000 for their school’s math and science departments. Other schools placing in the top 16 will win $1,000 for their school’s science departments. The competition draws more than 10,000 students annually.
Middle school third place, Eisenhower Middle School, from left, Mattias Niday, Beatrice Behrman, Caleb Hubbard, Jonathan Little and Aaron Brown. (Photo courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution Image.
The regional event is made possible by volunteers from Sandia National Labs who serve as organizers, judges, scorekeepers and timekeepers. Some of this year’s volunteers include Sandia employees who participated in Science Bowl when they were in middle and high school.
The goal is to inspire these students to pursue STEM careers, potentially becoming Sandia employees themselves one day.
“This event is so important because these kids are our future,” said Amy Tapia, Community Involvement manager at Sandia. “They work really hard to get here. It’s a big deal to them.”
Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Sandia Labs has major research and development responsibilities in nuclear deterrence, global security, defense, energy technologies and economic competitiveness, with main facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Livermore, California.
Sandia news media contact: Kim Vallez Quintana, kdquint@sandia.gov, 505-537-3294