21 Valley Teams Vie in L.A. Science Bowl

Twenty-one San Fernando Valley teams from 14 schools will compete Saturday in this year’s regional Department of Water and Power-Los Angeles Science Bowl.

The contest, held at the DWP’s downtown headquarters, will feature 42 schools from Los Angeles.

Local powerhouses Van Nuys, North Hollywood and Francis Polytechnic high schools are expected to challenge two-time defending champion Venice High School.

Venice is also the reigning two-time champion of the national tournament. Van Nuys High School won the regional and national competitions in 1995.

If a Los Angeles school wins the national tournament this year, it will be the first time that one region has produced four consecutive champions, said Walter Zeisl, supervisor of educational services for the DWP.

The competition is held to highlight accomplishments of high schools citywide and to encourage minorities and girls to pursue careers in math, science and technology fields, officials said.

The actual event is based on the old “General Electric College Bowl” television game show, according to the DWP.

Two teams of five students each answer “toss-up” questions from a moderator to earn the right for their team to exclusively answer bonus questions. Subjects include computer science, biology, physics, geology, astronomy, robotics and space travel.

Teams will be grouped into six leagues of seven teams each. Each team will play six matches. At the end of the morning session, the top two teams in each league will advance to a double-elimination tournament of 12 teams in the afternoon.

At the end of the competition, the winning school will be awarded $1,000 in science equipment, materials or software. Team members will each receive Hitachi scholarships of $1,000 each.

The winning team will represent Los Angeles in the national tournament, to be held in May in Washington, D.C.

The second-, third- and fourth-place schools will also receive money for equipment, the DWP said.