WHITTIER – Pioneer High School is one of 24 teams competing Saturday, Jan. 28 at the JPL Regional Science Bowl Competition at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, battling for the opportunity to compete at the National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C. in April.

Pioneer High is the only Whittier-area school to participate in the fast-paced, game show-style competition, in which students will buzz in to score points on college freshman-level questions covering topics in Earth and space sciences, from astronomy and biology to chemistry and math.

“Our students are so enthusiastic about participating in this event,” said Coach and Earth science/physics teacher Victor Gonzalez, who is coaching the team along with physics/chemistry teacher Matt Murray. “We’ve been on hiatus for some time, but we have a great team together and it’s always an excellent experience for our kids, who learn from their peers get their science knowledge tested.”

Pioneer’s team includes students Danielle Diaz, Lauren Hall, Emily Iniguez and Krystal Frith, with Fernando Ochoa serving as an alternate.

The National Science Bowl was created by the U.S. Department of Energy in 1991 to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). It is one of the nation’s largest science competitions, with approximately 265,000 middle- and high school students participating over the event’s 26-year history.

The winning team will earn the chance to compete at the National Science Bowl, which runs April 27 through May 1. The full list of 2017 participants is available at www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/nsb.php.

PHOTO CAPTION:

012717_WUHSD_SCIENCEBOWL: Pioneer High School is one of 24 teams competing at the JPL Regional Science Bowl Competition. Pictured are team coach Matt Murray, left, students Lauren Hall, Fernando Ochoa, Krystal Frith and Emily Iniguez, team coach Victor Gonzalez and student Danielle Diaz.