The rookie year for the Alton Memorial Jr. High School Science Bowl team has been a memorable one. Their year culminated this past week with a trip to Washington, DC where they were one of 48 teams in the country that qualified for the National Science Bowl competition.
The competition is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The competition involves two main areas. One is a quiz-show style academic competition that is intense and fast paced. The students get questioned on their knowledge of Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Physics, Energy, and Math. The second part of the competition is an electric car contest. Students had to design, build, and race lithium-ion battery-powered electric cars.
In the end, the AMJH Robo-Rangers team finished 35th place out of the 1.150 teams that began competitions in the country in the academic contest. In the electric car competition, the AMJH Robo-Rangers advanced into the “Sweet 16” and finished tenth in the nation.
Team members are: Nancy Olvera, Maximo Briones, Carlos Hernandez, Enrique Cantu, Alejandro Martinez. The coaches are: Sammy Rivera, Robert Granados, and Jesus Barrera.
Rivera said the students made many friends, learned a lot, and are so motivated by the experience that they are already making plans for improvements next year. Rivera also said the team’s success has increased interest in Robotics and Science Bowl among other students at the school. Rivera expressed gratitude, on behalf of the team, for the support of campus, district, and community members that helped make the trip to nationals a reality for the students.
Pictures of the AMJH Robo-Rangers in action at the competition can be viewed online, through the competition Flicker account, http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalsciencebowl/sets/72157643364820675.
The Department of Energy introduced the National Science Bowl competition for middle school students in 2002. It is one of the nation’s largest Science competitions and the only Science competition in the country sponsored by a Federal agency. This year 1,150 middle school teams from 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico competed in regional competitions. Only 48 regional Science Bowl champs qualified for the national finals.
Pictured here are the AMJH Robo-Rangers and their coaches as they toured some of Washington, DC (left to right): Sammy Rivera, coach; Robert Granados, coach; Alejandro Martinez; Maximo Briones; Enrique Cantu; Nancy Olvera, Carlos Hernandez.
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