The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science Team One of Bowling Green, Kentucky, today won the DOE West Kentucky Science Bowl.
Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office
February 11, 2020
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PADUCAH, Ky. — The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science Team One of Bowling Green, Kentucky, won the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) West Kentucky Regional Science Bowl on February 7.
The five-member Gatton team will travel to Washington, D.C., to compete in the DOE National Science Bowl® Finals held April 30 to May 4. They will be joined on the trip by the team that wins the West Kentucky middle school competition on February 21.
The all-day Science Bowl tournament, a quick-recall, fast-paced, question-and-answer contest, quizzes students on their knowledge of biology, chemistry, Earth and space science, energy, mathematics, and physics.
Gatton Academy Team Two finished second and McCracken County High School finished third in the regional competition.
“I was tickled to have both Gatton teams place,” said Gatton Academy Coach Cheryl Kirby- Stokes. “I wish they both could go to D.C. but they still love each other anyway. Every bit of the competition is student-run. They train themselves. They set up practice times and meetings. I am very proud of both teams.”
Other high schools competing at the University of Kentucky College of Engineering-Paducah Campus were Ballard Memorial High School, Fulton County High School, Graves County High School, Marshall County High School, Mayfield High School, and Paducah Tilghman High School in Kentucky, and Cairo Junior/Senior High School and Massac County High School in Illinois.
“This is our twelfth year to sponsor the DOE Western Kentucky Regional Science Bowl,” said Paducah Site Lead Jennifer Woodard of DOE’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office. “Each of our local high school students get the opportunity to display their talents and knowledge with the winning team going on a special trip to Washington, D.C, to participate in the national competition in April.”.
A series of 50 middle school and 65 high school regional tournaments are held across the country from January through March. Winners of these regional competitions advance to the DOE National Science Bowl® Finals, where hundreds of the nation’s middle and high school students will compete. In addition to the academic competition, students attend presentations by well-known scientists on current topics in math and science. Students will also have the opportunity to compete in a recreational activity called the Cyber Science Challenge.
Sponsors of the 12th Annual DOE Regional Science Bowl include DOE, the University of Kentucky College of Engineering—Paducah Campus, the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce, Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership, Petter Business Systems, Mid-America Conversion Services, Paducah Economic Development, Beltline, Geosyntec Consultants, HealthWorks Medical, Paducah Water, North Wind, Pro2Serve, Veolia, Swift & Staley, InSolves, Pepsi MidAmerica, HDR, GEO Consultants, Chase Environmental Services, Domtar, Crystal Springs, and Value Added Solutions.
The event is sponsored and organized by employees and contractors of DOE’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office. More than 100 volunteers serve as moderators, judges, technical advisors, and scorekeepers. DOE’s Office of Science manages the National Science Bowl® Finals competition. More information is available at https://science.osti.gov/wdts/nsb.
