SPOKANE, Wash. – Pullman High School won its third consecutive championship at the Department of Energy Spokane Science Bowl competition March 13 held at the Washington State University Spokane Campus.
Despite a strong challenge by Saint George’s High School in a final round that stood tied at the half and tied twice more before the end, Pullman once again took home the trophy.
To win this particular battle of the brains, it helped to know that the substituent or group name of an alkane that has an end hydrogen removed is an “alkyl” in the IUPAC system; that there are 9 total carbons in the organic compound “1, 1-dichloro-3-ethyl-2,4 dimethylpentane”; and that compared to mafic igneous rocks, felsic igneous rocks do not contain a greater concentration of magnesium, pyroxene or iron. They do, however, contain a higher level of silica.
The final question answered in the match was a bonus question in chemistry: Assuming that the specific heat of a substance is 5.0 joules per gram degree centigrade, how many joules of heat is released when 100 grams cools from 100°C to 50°C if there are no phase changes over this temperature range. The Pullman team had 20 seconds to calculate the answer, which they got right (2.50 à 104, or 25,000 Joules).
Beating out 22 other teams to win for the third year in a row, the Pullman team now heads to the national competition in Washington, D.C., to be held April 29-May 3.
WSU awards $1,000 scholarships to members of the winning team for use at any WSU campus, and provided event T-shirts to all participants.
Saint George’s placed second overall, Pullman High School’s team two placed third, and Ferris High School’s team one took fourth. The sportsmanship trophy, for the team most clearly exemplifying the highest principles of integrity throughout the competition, went to Northwest Christian High School.
“All-Star” students are those who answer the most toss-up questions in the first six rounds. The top student was Danny Crytser of Ferris High School; second was Justin Numata, University High School; third was Nicholas Shaw, Pullman High School team two; and honorable mention went to Colin Hill, Saint George’s. Avista Corp. provides cash scholarships to the top All-Star students.
Science Bowl is an academic competition among teams of students who answer questions from several academic disciplines, including astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth science, mathematics, physics and general science. Each team includes four students, one alternate and a teacher or coach. Twenty-three teams participated in this year’s event, and more than 70 volunteers served as officials.
Members of Pullman High School’s first-place team include Amos Chen, Andy Jou, Ingmar Saberi, Brian Yin and Angelena Weddell. Barbara Harding was the coach.
Saint George’s High School second-place team members include Colin Hill, Ben Ciavola, James Fischer and Liz Tyson. John Nord was the coach.
Pullman High School team two took third place. Team members include Nicholas Shaw, Thilini Ariawansa, Charlene Lei, Malica Jandhyala and Ross Carter. Harding was the coach.
Ferris High School team one took fourth place and includes members Johanna Brown, Danny Crytser, Nick Ulrich and Brandt Scanlan. Cinda Parton was the coach.
Members of Northwest Christian High School, winners of the sportsmanship award, include Melody Getman, John Hauck, Elisabeth Beaulieu and Eric Schmitz. Bobbi Luisi was the coach.
The National Science Bowl was created by the U.S. DOE to offer students who excel in math and science and the teachers who have prepared them a forum to receive national recognition for their talent and hard work. For more information, visit http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/nsb/. The DOE Pacific Northwest site office is the primary sponsor in Washington state.
Teams interested in entering next year’s Spokane Science Bowl can contact Beth Perry at (509) 588-3901, bperry@owt.com. Volunteers are needed for the steering committee and to serve as officials at the event. Those interested can contact Julie Wallman of INTEC at (509) 444-6832, juliew@intec-center.org.
Local supporters of the Spokane Science Bowl include WSU and WSU Spokane, platinum level; Eastern Washington Area Health Education Center, WSU Extension, gold level; Avista Corp., Itron, and an anonymous member of the Spokane Steering Committee, silver level; INTEC, Northeast Washington Hospital Council, and Pathology Associates Medical Laboratories, bronze level; All-Star Scholarships, Avista Corp.; winning team scholarships, WSU; and Spokane Teachers Credit Union, sponsors of the traveling trophy.
Participating schools this year included Cascade, Cheney, Ferris, North Central, Northwest Christian, Pullman, Shadle Park, Saint George’s, University and Riverside high schools.
