LADWP Science Bowl XIII captures teen interest in water technology

Feb. 28, 2005
Among 2005 results, Venice High School captures title with fifth regional trophy and first since 1997, while North Hollywood ''A'' Team places second and ''B'' Team wins third. Granada Hills Charter High School "B" Team places fourth. Venice High to represent region in U.S. DOE National Science Bowl in nation's capital April 28-May 2..

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Venice High School won first place Saturday in the annual LADWP Science Bowl Regional Competition. The school's "A" Team will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., to represent the city of Los Angeles at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Science Bowl April 28 to May 2, 2005.

A total of 42 teams from 26 public and private high schools throughout the city of Los Angeles participated in the LADWP event this year. Last year, North Hollywood High School won the LADWP Science Bowl and placed fifth at the National Science Bowl. LADWP regional championship teams have won four national titles and placed in the top five ranking teams eight out of the last 10 years, a record.

"The Venice High School Science Bowl Team will represent Los Angeles very well. The team demonstrated great skill and determination. We are proud of them and all participating teams," said Melinda Rho, chair of the LADWP Science Bowl Volunteer Steering Committee.

"Science Bowl not only recognizes academic excellence, but provides outstanding platforms to encourage students to pursue studies and careers in technical fields while also helping them develop teamwork skills and to 'think on their feet.' These skills are invaluable to future employers, such as LADWP, in maintaining a technologically current and motivated workforce," said Robert K. Rozanski, LADWP Chief Administrative Officer.

The winning team members are Captain Jonah Rosenthal, Nicole O'Keefe, Seth Rotkin, D'Amico Lorenzo and Andrew Bernstein. Their coach is Richard Erdman.

The competition at the National Science Bowl is expected to be tough. A total of 66 regional finalists are expected from 40 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This year, 11,000 students will participate in regional competitions.

Each Venice High School "A" Team Member receives the Hitachi Scholarship of $1,000. The school will receive the LADWP prize of $2000 for science instructional materials or equipment and a trophy. As runner-up, the North Hollywood High School "A" Team members will each receive the LADWP $1000 U.S. Savings Bonds Scholarship. The school will also receive a trophy and $1750 for the purchase of science materials.

North Hollywood High School's "B" Team placed third. The school will also receive $1500 in science materials or equipment from LADWP and a trophy. Team members will receive a $300 IEEE Scholarship. Fourth place team, Granada Hills Charter High School's "B" Team earned $1250 for science materials and a trophy for the school with students receiving an Office Depot purchasing card of $200 from LADWP.

Members of the runner-up North Hollywood High School "A" Team include Captain Jensen Law, Jennifer Yeh, Clifford Shin, Timothy Hsieh and Alex Yen. The coach is Len Soloff. North Hollywood High School "B" Team Members are Melisa Lin, Denise Ye, John Chen, Matthew Kim and Joseph Chang. Coach is Rishita Shah.

Granada Hills Charter High School "B" Team Members are Marena Lin, Angela Liu, Alan Nam, Jared Needle and Steven He. Coach is Bob Demetrion.

In addition to the regular buzzer competition, the special Franklin Lu Hands-On Competition was held. The competition is named for Franklin Lu, an electrical engineer and devoted Science Bowl Volunteer, who passed away suddenly in Nov. 2001. This year the competition involved a series of brain twisting puzzles.

In this competition Downtown Business Magnet High School placed first. The school was awarded the Franklin Lu Hands-On Trophy. Each team member received an Office Depot purchasing card for $250 from LADWP.

Second place was presented to TCA Arshag Dickranian Armenian School. Team members received purchasing cards to Office Depot for $200 from LADWP. Third place was won by Hamilton High School. Each team member received a purchasing card to Office Depot from LADWP for $150. And fourth place was won by Gardena High School. Each team member was awarded a purchasing card to Office Depot for $100.

The LADWP Science Bowl follows a fast-paced game show format in the style of the vintage "General Electric College Bowl" academic quiz show. Team members answer toss-up questions worth four points in order to earn the right to answer 10 point bonus questions. The team with the most points wins the match.

During today's competition more than 150 individual matches were held, 126 during the morning's round robin league play and the remainder in the afternoon's Double Elimination Championship Tournament of 16 teams. A total of 42 teams from 26 public, private and parochial high schools participated during the LADWP Science Bowl.

Subjects cover computer science, biology, physics, earth science, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics and new advances in technology.

In addition to LADWP and the U. S. Department of Energy, local event sponsors include the Hitachi Southern California Regional Action Committee, the Hitachi Foundation, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the San Fernando Valley Engineers' Council, the Water and Power Community Credit Union, and the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Annually, about 100 volunteers, mainly LADWP employees and their families, serve as moderators, timekeepers, and scorekeepers at the regional competition.

The LADWP Science Bowl is an official, regional qualifying tournament of the U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl. This year local tournaments will be held in 66 regions located in some 40 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and American Indian Nations. Nine regional competitions are held in California including one at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for schools outside the city of Los Angeles. Annually, more than 11,000 students from 1800 high school participate in the National Science Bowl program.

LADWP is one of only a few utilities in the nation that is a coordinating regional sponsor and host. LADWP is also involved in a number of educational partnership and community programs including the Teacher Workshops, Youth Service Academy and the Adopt-A-School Program.

Further information about LADWP education programs can be received from the utility's website (www.ladwp.com), clicking on the Community and Safety Section and then Educational Services. LADWP, the nation's largest municipally owned utility, has provided service to city residences and businesses for more than a century.

###

Sponsored Recommendations

ArmorBlock 5000: Boost Automation Efficiency

April 25, 2024
Discover the transformative benefits of leveraging a scalable On-Machine I/O to improve flexibility, enhance reliability and streamline operations.

Rising Cyber Threats and the Impact on Risk and Resiliency Operations

April 25, 2024
The world of manufacturing is changing, and Generative AI is one of the many change agents. The 2024 State of Smart Manufacturing Report takes a deep dive into how Generative ...

State of Smart Manufacturing Report Series

April 25, 2024
The world of manufacturing is changing, and Generative AI is one of the many change agents. The 2024 State of Smart Manufacturing Report takes a deep dive into how Generative ...

SmartSights WIN-911 Alarm Notification Software Enables Faster Response

March 15, 2024
Alarm notification software enables faster response for customers, keeping production on track