High School South National Science Bowl team placed in the top 16 of the 2013 National Science Bowl — and earned $1,000 for the school. Team members pictured above include junior Arnav Sood, second from left, junior Chaitanya Asawa, senior captain Alexander Clifton, senior Rishabh Singh, and junior Pranay Nadella. Their advisor is teacher Sunila Sharma, left.
After weeks of practice, the team won an all-expense paid trip to the national finals, which included a number of opportunities provided by the Department of Energy and the Office of Science. The South team listened to a lecture by Nobel Laureate Bill Phillips, who shared the 1997 Prize in Physics with former Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and competed in a team challenge activity involving the application of astronomical parallax.
The team squared off against its division in a rapid-fire Jeopardy-style competition as members raced to answer toss-up and bonus questions spanning physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, the earth, space sciences, and energy.
The South team advanced into the double-elimination round as one of the two top teams in its division by defeating teams from Texas, Mississippi, Colorado, and New York. The team placed in the overall Top 16 at the competition.
