GENERAL INFORMATION

Louisiana's top science and mathematics students from high schools across the state will participate in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Louisiana Regional Science Bowl on March 14, 2009, at Tulane University. The regional competition is the precursor to the National Science Bowl which will be held in Washington, D.C., April 30 - May 5, 2009.

The state level science bowl, as with the national one, are academic competitions between teams of students who answer questions on topics such as biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, earth and computer science and mathematics. The teams are comprised of four students, one alternate, and a teacher who serves as an advisor and coach.

DOE initiated the National Science Bowl in 1991 to highlight National Science and Technology Week and to create interest in science in high schools. DOE's nation-wide academic competition, modeled after a program developed at Argonne National Laboratory, promotes the study of science and mathematics and showcases those students who excel in those fields. The National Science Bowl has been endorsed by the National Education Association, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the American Federation of Teachers.

Updated information about the National Science Bowl can be accessed on the DOE Office of Energy Research site on the World Wide Web; the URL address is http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/nsb/

Hosted locally by DOE's Strategic Petroleum Reserve Project Management Office and the Louisiana Regional Science Bowl is supported by local businesses and organizations. The winning team receives an all expense paid trip to Washington D.C. to represent the state of Louisiana in the national competition.

The competition is operated by volunteers from the U.S. Department of Energy's Strategic Petroleum Reserve Project Management Office, DynMcDermott Petroleum Operations Company, Deltha Critique Joint Venture, Tulane University, other government agencies, and many others. Volunteers are being solicited to help with everything from checking in schools the morning of the competition to breaking down the equipment when the contest is over, and includes work as timekeepers, scorekeepers, moderators, and judges.