Douglas and Whittell high schools are among 32 teams competing for the Nevada Regional Science Bowl title, a trip to the National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., and prize money up to $5,000 in the 16th Annual Nevada Regional Science Bowl on Feb. 9 and 10 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
The students will test their math and science knowledge during the competition hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office.
The 13-round tournament begins at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 10. The winning team will be determined by 6 p.m.
The speaker at lunch will be former NASA astronaut Roy D. Bridges Jr., who was pilot of the Space Shuttle Challenger on a mission from July 29 to Aug. 6, 1985.
"Getting to be a part of the space shuttle program as an astronaut was another highlight," said Bridges. "I flew on the Challenger for eight days and 126 orbits around the earth. That experience was just awesome. I was preparing to fly again on the Challenger when the accident happened in 1986. It was a very heartfelt tragedy, and it changed all of our lives."
The Douglas teams will be competing with students from Las Vegas, Reno, Sparks, Henderson, Boulder City, Fallon, Cedar City, Utah, and Big Pine, Calif.
