Olathe North High School (KS) and Marquette High School (MO) with the Regional Science Bowl

For 35 years, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC), managed by Honeywell FM&T have sponsored the Kansas City Regional Science Bowl, which aims to get students excited about science and math, and to inspire them to pursue careers in these fields. With STEM jobs growing three times faster than other sectors, KCNSC is working to boost the region’s talent pipeline.

The DOE National Science Bowl® is a fast-paced Q&A competition covering biology, chemistry, physics, earth and space, energy, and mathematics. Teams of four students compete in qualifying rounds consisting of at most 23 “toss-up” and “bonus” questions. The winners of the qualifying rounds meet in a final head-to-head match to determine the 2024 Regional Champion. This year, 11 high school teams and four middle school teams participated in the event.

Olathe North High School in Overland Park won the Kansas high school regional, and Marquette High School in St. Louis won the Missouri high school regional. Pleasant Ridge Middle School in Overland Park won the Kansas middle school regional. All three teams will compete against other regional winners at the DOE National Science Bowl on April 25-29 in Washington, D.C.

“It was great seeing students excited about STEM at the Science Bowl. There is hope for the future of science and mathematics in the hands of these bright young people," said Lillian Cooper, a coordinator for the Regional Science Bowl.

About the National Science Bowl®

The DOE National Science Bowl® is a nationwide academic competition that tests students’ knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics. Middle and high school student teams from diverse backgrounds are comprised of four students, one alternate and a teacher who serves as an advisor and coach. These teams face off in a fast-paced Q&A format, being tested on a range of science disciplines including biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics, energy, and math.

The DOE created the National Science Bowl® in 1991 to encourage students to excel in mathematics and science and to pursue careers in these fields. Approximately 325,000 students have participated in the National Science Bowl® throughout its 31-year history, and it is one of the nation’s largest science competitions.

Olathe North High School students (from left): L to R: Luke Hui, Anshika Kapoor, Andrew Dai, Sahitha Chunduru and Pace Klein

Marquette High School students (from left): Atharva Shinde, Arnav Busani, Andrew Wu, Ankush Vasireddy and Yoon Jae Chang

Pleasant Ridge Middle School students (from left): Ryka Singh, Aryan Tala, Vikram Vallurupalli, Jayden Xue, Shashwat Gupta. Coached by, Ian Yue and Prasanthi Dandamudi