DOE Announces Winners of 34th Annual National Science Bowl®

Competition Highlights Importance of Investing in Next Generation of Leaders in Science

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, students from Lexington High School in Lexington, Massachusetts, and BASIS Independent Bellevue in Bellevue, Washington won the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) 34^th National Science Bowl^® (NSB) nationwide academic competition that tests students' knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics.

"Congratulations to the wonderfully brilliant minds from BASIS Independent Bellevue and Lexington High School for winning the 2024 National Science Bowl - you faced fierce competition and persevered," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. "Our clean energy future will be in great hands with the next generation of STEM leaders - we can't wait to see what you all dream up next."

The top two high school teams emerged victorious from a field of 67 high school regional winners in the Finals competition held over the weekend.

Lexington High School defeated North Hollywood High School from North Hollywood, California by correctly answering the space multiple choice question, "which of the following statements about sunspots is true: W: Total sunspot area typically reaches a similar maximum during each solar cycle. X: Sunspots in a given hemisphere switch polarity in successive 11-year solar cycles. Y: Sunspots are more abundant in the northern hemisphere. Z: Sunspots have elevated convection rates." Lexington High School secured their win by answering "X: Sunspots in a given hemisphere switch polarity in successive 11-year solar cycles."

The members of the winning high school team are Damon Gurvich, Shreyas Ekanathan, Anuprabha Dandapat, Evin Liang, David Zhou, and they are coached by Nick Gould.

Lexington High School won $5,000 for their school's science department. The second-place team will also receive $5,000 and the top 16 teams each receive $1,000 for their schools' science departments.

In the middle school competition, BASIS Independent Bellevue defeated Hopkins Junior High School from Fremont, California. The members of the winning middle school team are Gordon Bu, David Xiao, Katherine Long, Kevin Wu, Timothy Wu of Bellevue, Washington, and they are coached by Liping Ke and Ning Wu.

The top two middle school teams emerged victorious from a field of 48 middle school regional champions that participated in the National Science Bowl^® Finals. BASIS Independent Bellevue and Hopkins Junior High School each won $5,000 and the top 16 teams will also receive $1,000 for their schools' science departments.

Today, the NSB annually draws more than 10,000 middle and high school competitors. Since the first competition in 1991, approximately 344,000 students have faced off in the National Science Bowl® Finals. The knowledge that former competitors have acquired and, more importantly, the collaborative skills and study habits that they learned along the way have led them to successes in a variety of fields. Many have become researchers; others are science and math professors. The 2024 competitors follow in the footsteps of previous National Science Bowl® contestants and will blaze a trail for students in science, math, and engineering.

DOE's Office of Science manages the National Science Bowl^® and sponsors the finals competition. Additional information about the teams and the National Science Bowl^® is available here.

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