Blair places second in regional Science Bowl

A team of Blair students placed second in the Maryland championship of the regional Science Bowl on Feb. 26 at the Department of Energy headquarters in Germantown.

Students from Wootton High School triumphed in the competition, which tests participants' scientific and mathematical knowledge. With its win, Wootton advanced to the Department of Energy's 15th Annual National Science Bowl competition in April at the National 4-H Center in Chevy Chase.

Senior Randy Li, a member of Blair's team, called the group's second-place finish a letdown. "It was disappointing, but the [Wootton] team was better prepared," he said. "It's not that surprising [that we lost]."

Teacher sponsor Tran Pham also believed that Blair's performance was a disappointment. "Usually, we win it every year…We're supposed to be the best in the state," he said. "This year, we're not up to Wootton's strength."

Li believed the Blair team was not aggressive enough when it was required to buzz in to answer questions. "We had the knowledge, but the [Wootton] team was a little faster in some cases," he said. "They knew their stuff and were more disciplined at buzzing."

Pham attributed the Blair team's loss to a shortage of factual knowledge. "They don't have enough knowledge compared to Wootton," he said. "Blair High School is not supposed to lack knowledge compared to other schools."

Winston Churchill High School came in third place and Seneca Valley High School placed fourth. Benjamin Banneker Academic High School won first among the schools from the District of Columbia.

At the regional qualifying rounds, teams from 12 schools in Maryland and six schools in the District of Columbia were quizzed on astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, mathematics and physics. The competition consisted of round robins followed by double-elimination finals. Each team consists of five students and a faculty advisor.

More than 12,000 students from across the country participated in the Science Bowl this year.

The Department of Energy founded the National Science Bowl in 1991. The competition was created to encourage high-school students to participate in science and mathematics activities and to pursue careers in these fields.

More information about the National Science Bowl can be found here.