Students prepare for Science Bowl

Schools across eastern Idaho are preparing for the Department of Energy’s Science Bowl Friday and Saturday.

The Idaho National Laboratory hosts the Bowl every year to encourage students to get excited about science and math. The Bowl’s director, Steve Zollinger, said this is a good event for students who prefer the sciences over traditional sports.

“Science and math can be fun. It can be an enjoyable thing and when we bring it together in a friendly competition between high school and high school, or middle school against middle school, it really is an enjoyable event for the students and teachers,” he said.

Bonneville High School math teacher Della Pilgrim has been participating in the Bowl for the past 20 years.

“We practice buzzing in and learning the rules and answering questions quickly and accurately,” she said.

Pilgrim said each year the Bowl is more focused on science and math, so her students have to bring their A-game.

“This is their niche, they really enjoy being a part of a team, but they’re not athletes,” said Pilgrim.

During the Bowl, students only have 10 seconds to answer each question, so Pilgrim said it’s a real brain competition. But more importantly, it helps students learn that there is a use for their skills during life after high school.

“Math and science are the basis for all of life. I mean we have to know… without math and without science, we wouldn’t have the technology that we enjoy,” she said.

Teams will compete in three divisions at the Jeopardy-style tournament held Friday, March 14, for high school students and Saturday, March 15, for middle school students. The tournament will take place at the Center for Higher Education (CHE) building at the University Place campus in Idaho Falls.