PR 1-19                                                                      BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION
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BPA hosts 28th annual Regional Science Bowl this Saturday

Some 64 teams of high school students compete for opportunity to go to National Science Bowl, scholarships to regional schools

Portland, Ore. –Students from Westview High School in Beaverton are vying for their sixth straight championship at the Bonneville Power Administration’s 28th annual Regional Science Bowl. The event challenges students’ knowledge in all aspects of science including math, geology, chemistry, physics and environmental science.

Originally scheduled for Feb. 9, the competition was postponed due to inclement weather affecting the region. Now, Westview joins 63 other teams from public and private high schools across western Washington and Oregon this Saturday at the University of Portland for the fast-paced, round-robin competition. The top team will take an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl.

The BPA supported event is the largest regional science bowl in the nation. The academic event not only showcases students’ talents in science, technology, engineering and math, it also provides an opportunity to encourage them to consider careers in these fields. This helps to build the future labor pool of scientists and innovators so critical to the energy industry.

Beyond the prestige of winning and the prospect of the national competition, BPA and science bowl volunteers have worked to establish partnerships with 17 universities and colleges in the Northwest to offer members of the top three teams a chance at more than $300,000 in scholarships.

In addition to the competition, demonstrations and hands-on activities will take place throughout the day. In the afternoon, a separate engineering competition allows teams that have not advanced to the double-elimination round to test their engineering and design skills.

The BPA Regional Science Bowl is sponsored by the University of Portland and Vernier Software & Technology.

BPA REGIONAL SCIENCE BOWL 2019

Where: Franz Hall, University of Portland, Portland, Oregon

When: Feb. 23, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

More info: www.bpa.gov/goto/ScienceBowl

About BPA

The Bonneville Power Administration, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a nonprofit federal power marketer that sells wholesale electricity from 31 federal dams and one nuclear plant to 142 electric utilities, serving millions of consumers and businesses in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana and parts of California, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. BPA delivers power via more than 15,000 circuit miles of lines and 260 substations to 511 transmission customers. In all, BPA markets about a third of the electricity consumed in the Northwest and operates three-quarters of the region’s high-voltage transmission grid. BPA also funds one of the largest fish and wildlife programs in the world, and, with its partners, pursues cost-effective energy savings and operational solutions that help maintain affordable, reliable and clean electric power for the Northwest. www.bpa.gov

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