Students from the region will embark on a weekend full of science and wonder.
Elizabethton and Unaka high schools will represent Carter County in the regional competition for the Department of Energy Office of Science’s National Science Bowl (NSB) on Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County campus in hopes of representing the state at the national level.
2017 marks the 27th year NSB, which was offered by the DOE to interest today’s youth in pursuing careers in science and math. The winner of the regional competition will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the Office of Science’s National Science Bowl from April 27 to May 1 and the winner of the national competition will win prizes for the team members and their schools.
“Participating in the Department of Energy / Office of Science National Science Bowl encourages student involvement and achievement in math and science activities of importance to the Department and the Nation,” said James H. Glownia, director of the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Students. “We wish each of them success in their efforts to reach the National Finals in Washington, D.C.”
EHS’ team is comprised of Kaylee Bowers, Ryan Miller, John Tapp and Garrett Barnett. Jessica Hayes, the team’s coached added her students have put in the legwork to prepare for the event.

“There are four students that are on our team that have excelled in subjects pertinent to the competition,” she said. We have been practicing one to two times per week for the past few months. We have been utilizing the website’s question bank to guide our practices. Additional support has been given by other teachers to drill and teacher concepts.

”Unaka is represented by students Ian Moore, Luke Thomas, Kristen Golden, Candace Bowers and Grant Rivero-Bridges. Scott Reis, who serves as a coach with Justin Herald, added the students in Stoney Creek have also been busy preparing for the weekend.

“We’ve been doing practices questions to prepare for the competition,” Reis said. “It’ll be a round robin competition then the top teams from each pool will compete in a double-elimination tournament from there. We’re hoping to improve from our performance last year. We placed third out of our pool, so we’re hoping to make it to the elimination this year.”
Questions during the events range from a variety of topics, including biology, physics, math, physical sciences and chemistry.
Today, the NSB draws more than 14,000 middle- and high-school competitors. Approximately 265,000 students have faced off in the NSB Finals since the first competition in 1991. The knowledge that former NSB competitors have acquired – and more importantly, the habits of study that they’ve learned along the way – have led them to success in a variety of fields. Many have become researchers; others are science and math professors at some of our some of our nation’s most prestigious universities.