SLAC celebrates 20th anniversary hosting Regional Science Bowl

A familiar middle school and a newcomer high school took home top honors at this year’s Regional Science Bowl – a special one for the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, which has now hosted the event for 20 years.

The event, part of the National Science Bowl, quizzes San Francisco Bay Area middle and high school students in science and math in the hope of inspiring lifelong careers in STEM.

“Few things are more motivating than seeing brilliant future STEM leaders come together for Science Bowl,” said Melinda Lee, SLAC’s chief communications officer and SLAC’s original Regional Science Bowl coordinator. “Since hosting SLAC’s earliest competitions 20 years ago, the spirited comradery and community support, in volunteers and cheers, continue to lift all who are lucky enough to be involved.”

Twenty-eight teams from 26 high schools competed in this year’s high school competition, which took place on February 28 and was managed by SLAC’s Molly Glover and Rachel Isip. Three teams participated for the first time: Aragon High, Design Tech High and Fusion Academy Cupertino.

Despite their newbie status, Fusion Academy (pictured top) prevailed.

“The moment they won was absolutely electric,” said Fusion Academy coach and head of school Sara Javid. “The excitement, the relief, the pure joy — it was incredible to witness. I could see the pride on their faces, and they knew that all their hard work had paid off.”

At the middle school event on March 1, Joaquin Miller Middle won for the fourth year in a row, maintaining their undefeated winning streak since SLAC began hosting the middle school competition in 2022.

The winning teams from Joaquin Miller Middle School and Fusion Academy will both compete at the National Science Bowl April 24 through 28 in Washington, D.C.

Photos by Jacqueline Ramseyer Orrell/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory