BIDDEFORD — Nine Biddeford Middle School students will show off their scientific skills this weekend at the New England regional competition of the 25th annual National Science Bowl.
BMS’s two teams will face off against teams from 10 other schools across the region, including five from Massachusetts, three from New Hampshire, one from Vermont and one from Bangor. The competition will be Saturday in Manchester, New Hampshire.
The team topping the bunch will then head to Washington, D.C., to represent New England in the NSB’s national finals, which will be from April 30 to May 4.
“We have a great team this year,” Jessica Larson, a teacher in the school department’s gifted and talented program, who coaches the science team, said Wednesday. “We’re very excited.”
This is only Biddeford’s second year competing, she said, and she’s hoping since the team has had more time to prepare this year, it will fair better in the competition. Last year the school found out about the competition less than two months before it was held, said Larson, and it “scrambled” to put a team together.
Larson said the middle school is sending six eighth-grade students and three seventh-grade students to compete in the “Jeopardy”-style competition Saturday, which tests students’ knowledge of STEM ”“ science, technology, engineering and mathematics ”“ subjects.
“I’m always surprised what they know,” Larson said of the 12- to 14-year-olds she coaches.
Three eighth-grade BMS competitors ”“ Maggie Behen, Matthew Tardif and Joshua Bilsky ”“ said Wednesday that they’re excited to make the trip to New Hampshire this weekend.
“I joined the science team to improve my knowledge of science and to compare myself to other students around New England,” said Bilsky. “So far I’ve found that it has really improved my skills in the science field, and I’ve learned a lot. I’m also doing very well so far.”
The NSB, which draws more than 14,000 middle and high school competitors, was launched by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science “to interest today’s youth in pursuing careers in science and math,” according to a February press release from the department.
It seems that pursuit is proving successful, as all three of the science-hungry youngsters said they’re already pondering careers in science or medicine.
“I want to be a neurosurgeon,” said Behen. “I like the way the brain functions.”
Similarly, Bilsky said one of his favorite subjects is neuroscience, and he wants to become either a doctor or an engineer.
“My favorite subject is biology,” said Tardif. “I enjoy being outdoors
with animals.”
As far as pre-game jitters are concerned, only Tardiff admitted to being “a little nervous.”
“I don’t get nervous usually,” Behen said bluntly. “I’m confident in our abilities.”
— Staff Writer Angelo J. Verzoni can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or averzoni@journaltribune.com.
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