Tigers compete in annual Science Bowl

The Douglas High School academic team took 9th place at the 32nd annual Science Bowl Saturday in Las Vegas.

The Science Bowl is a national competition where students compete in nine rounds of fast-paced questions based on a range science disciplines including biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics, energy and math.

Reno magnet school Davidson Academy took both first and second place at Saturday’s 32nd annual Science Bowl in Las Vegas.

“I’m excited to compete against other smart people,” said senior Kenadee Morrow on Thursday.

The team traveled to the College of Southern Nevada, North Las Vegas campus, on Friday to compete in nine rounds of fast paced questions-and-answers that tested students’ knowledge on a range of science disciplines including biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics, energy and math.

Since 1991, more than 15,000 students nationally compete each year for the opportunity to represent their school at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl and the top 12 teams receive cash prizes for their school’s math and science departments.

Trophies in Christine Ensign’s classroom show Douglas High School students have competed in the Science Bowl for at least 20 years, including a second place in 2010 and most recently a ninth place in 2020.

Ensign teaches advanced placement statistics, geometry and advanced placement calculus at the high school and is the team’s coach and advisor during the competition.

“We’re kind of the underdogs here,” said Ensign. “A lot of the teams and schools are magnet schools specializing in specific areas of academics and we’re a small, rural and traditional public school that does not focus primarily on a STEM curriculum, so these students have really held their own against these other schools and it’s really impressive.”

Known as the largest and most prestigious science competition in the country, the goal of the Science Bowl is to encourage student involvement in math and science activities, improve awareness of career paths in science and technology and provide an avenue of enrichment and rewards for academic science achievement, while providing students a competition with others who are academically like-minded.

“It’s really cool to be able to compete with other students and show off what we know,” said Morrow.

Morrow is the team captain and has an interest in chemistry and energy and hopes her knowledge of the subjects help the team.

“You want a good mix of subjects and knowledge on the team,” said Ensign. “There’s questions in science, technology, math and Earth science so having students who are well rounded in those subjects and bring their own specific interests and expertise to the table, that’s what is going to make a good team.”

Ensign said the team is made up of students mostly in the advance placement classes.

Aside from Morrow the team consists of physics student Kevin O’Connell, mathematics student Ender Dempsey, chemistry student Tyler Reinhardt and biology student Carlo Barton.

The team said they are looking forward to not only competing but traveling together and having fun.

“That’s the most import thing, I think,” said Ensign.

“It’s nice to travel and having the face-to-face opportunity and experiences alone are great. They’re a good group and they’re going to do great.”

Regional tournaments are held at DOE sponsoring sites across the country January through March.

The top teams from each region moves on to the National finals in Washing-ton D.C. in April.

The 2023 Nevada Science Bowl is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office, Mission Support and Test Services LLC, and Environmental Management Nevada Environmental Program Services.

For more information about the DOE National Science Bowl, visit https://science.energy.gov/wdts/nsb