LADWP Science Bowl, 25th Anniversary Regional Competition, Set for Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018

LOS ANGELES — More than 250 of the city’s top science students from 29 public, private, parochial and charter high schools in 50 teams will compete at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Science Bowl on Saturday, February 24 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the utility’s downtown headquarters, 111 North Hope Street. The public is invited to attend.

The winning team as the regional champion will travel to Washington, DC from April 26 to April 30 to represent the city at the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science National Science Bowl, where it will compete in a field of 64 teams from 40 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

LADWP regional championship teams have among the best records at the National Science Bowl, compared to other regional areas, having won four national titles and placing among the top five teams 11 times. The trip to Washington, D.C. is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science.

Science Bowl demonstrates the LADWP’s commitment to the city’s youth and the Los Angeles educational community. A proud LADWP tradition, Science Bowl tests students’ reflexes, teamwork skills and knowledge of science, math, technology and related current events in a fun competitive atmosphere following a television game show format.

“Science Bowl encourages students from all parts of the city to pursue studies and careers in technical fields like those we need to hire,” said LADWP General Manager David H. Wright. “We hope some Science Bowl participants will pursue employment with LADWP and the city of Los Angeles as they enter the workforce because hiring employees with strong technical skills is essential to our success.”

Each year a different theme is chosen for the LADWP Science Bowl that highlights important, science, technological innovations or individuals. The 2017 theme was “1917-2017, LADWP, 100 Years of Providing Power to Los Angeles. This year the theme commemorates the Silver Anniversary of the Regional Competition and 25 Years of Innovation by the utility from 1993 to 2018.

At this year’s competition, students will vie for $25,000 in science awards which include college scholarships and prizes for their schools. First place team members will each receive the $1,000 Hitachi Scholarship as well as $2,000 for their school. Some teams will compete in the Water and Power Community Credit Union Hands-On Competition.

Since its inception in 1991, about 275,000 middle and high school students have competed at regional competitions as part of National Science Bowl program in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This year 9,500 high school students and 4,500 middle school students participate in one of 113 regional tournaments around the nation.

This year, LADWP Science Bowl sponsors include not only LADWP and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, but also the Water and Power Community Credit Union, Hitachi Southern California Regional Community Action Committee, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Industrial Applications Society Metro Los Angeles Chapter, Office Depot, Gelson’s Market and the Los Angeles Unified School District.

In addition to Science Bowl, other LADWP-sponsored education programs include the Los Angeles Times in Education Program, Academic Decathlon Student Training Workshops, Adopt-A-School Program, an Environmental Teacher Institute, and Electric Safety Lessons for elementary schools. Also live theater plays in schools on water resources and conservation and an-in-school water conservation and energy efficiency program are conducted on behalf of LADWP under sponsorships of two non-profit organizations.

LADWP is the largest municipally-owned utility in the nation with more than 1.5 million electric customers and 650,000 water customers. It has provided utility services to residents and businesses in the city of Los Angeles for more than a century. It is only one of a few coordinating regional Science Bowl sponsors that is a utility.
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