PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: James H. Wilson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 1996
YOUNG SCIENTISTS GEAR UP FOR NATIONAL SCIENCE BOWL SEMIFINALS
Twenty-four teams of young scientists from Southern
California high schools will gather Saturday, Jan. 27, at the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory for the regional semifinal competition of
the National Science Bowl, a quiz-show-like tournament of
scientific knowledge.
The regional contest is being held at NASA's JPL for the
fourth consecutive year. Each of two dozen high schools, mostly
in the San Gabriel Valley, will be represented by a team of four
students and an alternate. The regional winners will go on to the
finals in late April at the EPCOT Center on Florida.
"This mental sporting event lets the students compete both
individually and as teams in their knowledge of science," said
Kim Lievense, manager of JPL's Office of Public Services and
organizer of the event. "It is fast-paced and highly
competitive."
Modeled on the old "College Bowl" television show of the
1960s, the competition was first organized by the U.S. Department
of Energy in 1991. It starts with a round-robin event in which
every team plays five others, followed by a double-elimination
tournament for the high scorers.
Participating high schools include: Mark Keppel in Alhambra;
Arcadia High School; Diamond Bar High School; Downey and Warren
High Schools in Downey; Hoover High School in Glendale;
University and Woodbridge High Schools in Irvine; Jordan and
Wilson High Schools in Long Beach; Los Alamitos High School; Mira
Costa High School in Manhattan Beach; Monrovia High School; Palos
Verdes Peninsula High School; John Muir and Pasadena High Schools
in Pasadena; Redondo Union High School; Riverside Poly High
School; Rosemead High School; San Dimas High School; South and
West Torrance High Schools; and South Hills and West Covina High
Schools in West Covina.
"Woodbridge High won the regional semifinals in 1993 and
1995, and Mark Keppel High School was the regional winner in
1994," Lievense said. "This year more than half of the schools
are new to the competition, and we expect a very exciting
tournament."
Sponsors of the event include the Doubletree Hotel, Foothill
Trophy, McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Pasadena Water and Power
Department, Rockwell International, Service America, Sport Chalet
and the Wild Goose Company, as well as JPL, NASA and the
Department of Energy.
Press are invited to watch the all-day tournament, which
will be held 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For further
information, contact the JPL Public Information Office at 818-
354-5011.
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