Modesto to host Central Valley Regional Science Bowl

Students from high schools in Ceres and Modesto will be among 24 teams competing in the regional National Science Bowl contest Feb. 27 at Gregori High.

The competition is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science and major corporations, meant to spur interest by today's youth in pursuing careers in science and math.

The Central Valley Regional competition, in its 19th year, is one of approximately 70 regional events held all over the United States, said local coordinator Mike Zweifel.

The Science Bowl competition features teams of five students that compete head-to-head in a fast-paced, timed, oral question & answer “game-show” format complete with lockout buzzers, timers and scorekeepers. All teams participate in a five-round, team vs. team, round-robin competition in the morning rounds. The top eight performing teams advance to the double-elimination rounds after lunch.

The Championship match is expected to begin around 3 p.m.

This year’s teams hail from Arroyo Grande, Clovis, Visalia, Stockton, Lodi and San Jose. Local teams will be representing Central Valley High in Ceres, and Davis, Enochs, Downey, Gregori and Beyer high schools in Modesto.

The winner of the regional competition will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the National Science Bowl in April.

More than 14,000 middle- and high-school students across the country competed in the National Science Bowl this year. The nationwide academic competition tests students' knowledge in biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics, energy, technology and math.

A sample question provided by the national website: L-alanine and D-alanine are best classified as what type of isomers: A) cis, B) trans, C) structural, D) optical.

Kudos to everyone who answered D) optical.

Sponsors of the local event are the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts, Mocse Credit Union, Stanislaus Retired Teachers Association and Modesto City Schools. Several local companies, including Pepsi Cola and Frito-Lay, donate food for the event.

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 10:45 AM with the headline "Modesto to host Central Valley Regional Science Bowl."