South Side to Compete for 2013 National Science Bowl Championship

South Side High School will be one of 69 high schools competing for the U.S. Department of Energy's 2013 National Science Bowl championship in April.

South Side joins Huntington High School as the only two high schools from Long Island to win the regional competition and advance to the national stage.

Great Neck Middle School was the only middle school to advance from Long Island.

South Side's team consists of team members Nassir Jones, Brittanie Joseph, Justine Hamilton, McKingsley Ryan Williams and Lauren Rodriguez, as well as coaches Hazel Gibbons and Herb Weiss.

From a total of 1,894 high school teams that competed in regional competitions this year, 69 teams won a spot in the National Science Bowl, and 46 of the 1,023 middle school teams that competed at their regional competitions are advancing to the national finals.

“The National Science Bowl is one of the most prestigious annual academic competitions. We congratulate the 115 teams of middle and high school students who have earned a spot in this year’s national finals by finishing in the top four percent of the teams that competed regionally,” said Patricia M. Dehmer, Deputy Director for Science Programs in Energy Department’s Office of Science.

The National Science Bowl is divided into separate competitions for middle and high school students. In the academic competitions, teams of four or five middle and high school students will face off in a fast-paced question-and-answer format, being tested on a range of science disciplines including biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, astronomy and math.

The first-place high school team in the academic competition will win a nine-day, all-expense paid science trip to Alaska.

While on the trip, the students will take day trips that provide learning opportunities about glaciology, marine and avian biology, geology and plate tectonics. They will explore the Copper River Delta, known for its prolific runs of wild salmon; hike through the Chugach National Forest’s old-growth hemlock and spruce stands; white-water raft on the Sheridan River and travel across the scenic Prince William Sound and Orca Inlet, home to the world’s largest population of sea otters.

The trip also includes visits to Childs Glacier and the Alaska Wildlife Center, a rehabilitation facility for injured and orphaned wildlife.

The second-place high school team in the academic competition will win a five-day, fully guided adventure tour of the Great Salt Lake Park, Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.

They will hike along the Continental Divide, go white-water rafting down the Snake River and swim in the Great Salt Lake Park before seeing Yellowstone’s geysers, canyons and other geological formations as well as  the West Yellowstone Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center.

They also will hike at Jenny Lake for spectacular observations of wildlife and tour the Upper Snake River Canyon.

The top three teams will receive trophies and individual medals, and the top 16 high school teams will receive $1,000 for their school’s science department.

In addition to the academic competition, high school teams will be divided into eight divisions and compete in solving hands-on science problems. The division winners in this competition will each receive $500 for their school’s science department.