LV students to compete in DOE's area Science Bowl

Dozens of Nevada high school students are racking their brains today for answers to scientific theories.

The students are among 32 teams from 26 high schools in Arizona, Nevada and Utah competing in the Department of Energy's eighth annual Nevada Regional Science Bowl.

The 13-round competition, a take-off of the 1960s television quiz show "College Bowl," begins at 8 a.m. today and runs until 6 p.m. at the Beam Engineering Complex, Great Hall, at UNLV.

Four-member teams compete against each other, answering multiple choice or short-answer questions in chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, astronomy, earth science or computer science. Buzzers are used, and the students are given only a few seconds to answer.

Clark High School's team has been preparing since September, Sherwood Jones, its coach and a Clark teacher, said.

Its team members are all from Clark's Math and Science magnet school. They've been training twice a week after school, often reviewing questions from past years' tests.

"These are tough questions," Jones said.

Monetary prizes are awarded to the top seven teams. The money goes to the schools' mathematics and science departments.

The winning team will move on to the 1999 National Science Bowl in Chevy Chase, Md., April 30-May 3.

"I'm really happy with my team," Jones said. "They're great kids. Win or lose, they're going to enjoy it."

The Energy Department established the Science Bowl in 1991 to motivate high school students to pursue scientific and technical careers and promote science and math literacy.

"It's neat for kids to get into," Jones said. "They're competing, and they really want to know how they'll do."

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