It is known for its scenic postcard beauty. The city has been a vacationers delight for numerous reasons. It is not only breathtakingly beautiful, but also is one of the most advanced cities. Rome has every possible thing that you would need for a fun filled and exotic vacation. The historic monuments, museums, mouth watering cuisine and the gardens that the city boasts of have been attracting tourists to the city for decades now.
One of the oldest cities in the world, the Italian capital has ranked quite high on the tourism map for numerous reasons. Onboard any of the Rome flights and get set to witness some of the finest monuments in the world. From the renowned Coliseum and the Roman Forum and from the Piazza Venezia to various museums, parks and absolutely cheerful nightlife, everything will take your holiday experience to the next level. The city is so splendid that you would never ever get bored here.
Everything about the Italian capital is fascinating and enthralling. And, what makes the place all the more likable are the splendid lodging options of the place. It is a stunning city, and the convenience and lodging in the city makes the city all the more favorite tourist hotspot. There are various types of hotels and lodges in the city and whatever your liking is, you will definitely get something. The city has numerous two and three star accommodations, which offer various kinds of amenities and services that you need for a comfortable and pleasing stay. The best part is that these lodgings have deals and discounts from time to time, so you might get to stay amongst the premium comfort and lavishness without burning a hole in your pocket.
If you want an economical stay without being too heavy on your pocket and want to spend more while shopping and sightseeing, then, you can opt for the budget motels or the bed and breakfast inns. If you think that by compromising on the price, you will also have to compromise on the amenities and services, then, you are mistaken, you will be surprised by the facilities and services here. The rooms are hygienic and the breakfast is delicious. You will have a different experience staying in these.
The fact is that whether you choose to stay in a five star lodging or budget lodging, you will get the value of your money. So, onboard one of the Rome flights and get set for one of the most alluring holidays and get ready to gather some of the priceless moments with your friends.
About the Author: Abhishek Kumar started his content writing service in 2007 and he is having expertise in field's like Travel, Finance, Legal, Automotive, Computer.
HP has formally announced their entry into the Android tablet space with this, the HP Slate 7. The 7-inch Slate 7 isn't intended to be a high end, bleeding edge tablet, but it is only $169. So, spec wise, what do we get for that low, low price.
Feb. 25, 2013 ? In a recently published study in the journal Biological Trace Element Research, Arizona State University researchers report that children with autism had higher levels of several toxic metals in their blood and urine compared to typical children. The study involved 55 children with autism ages 5-16 years compared to 44 controls of similar age and gender.
The autism group had significantly higher levels of lead in their red blood cells (+41 percent) and significantly higher urinary levels of lead (+74 percent), thallium (+77 percent), tin (+115 percent), and tungsten (+44 percent). Lead, thallium, tin, and tungsten are toxic metals that can impair brain development and function, and also interfere with the normal functioning of other body organs and systems.
A statistical analysis was conducted to determine if the levels of toxic metals were associated with autism severity, using three different scales of autism severity. It was found that 38-47 percent of the variation of autism severity was associated with the level of several toxic metals, with cadmium and mercury being the most strongly associated.
In the paper about the study, the authors state "We hypothesize that reducing early exposure to toxic metals may help ameliorate symptoms of autism, and treatment to remove toxic metals may reduce symptoms of autism; these hypotheses need further exploration, as there is a growing body of research to support it."
The study was led by James Adams, a President's Professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, one of ASU's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. He directs the ASU Autism/Asperger's Research Program.
Adams previously published a study on the use of DMSA, an FDA-approved medication for removing toxic metals. The open-label study found that DMSA was generally safe and effective at removing some toxic metals. It also found that DMSA therapy improved some symptoms of autism. The biggest improvement was for children with the highest levels of toxic metals in their urine.
Overall, children with autism have higher average levels of several toxic metals, and levels of several toxic metals are strongly associated with variations in the severity of autism for all three of the autism severity scales investigated.
The study was funded by the Autism Research Institute and the Legacy Foundation.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Arizona State University.
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Journal Reference:
James B. Adams, Tapan Audhya, Sharon McDonough-Means, Robert A. Rubin, David Quig, Elizabeth Geis, Eva Gehn, Melissa Loresto, Jessica Mitchell, Sharon Atwood, Suzanne Barnhouse, Wondra Lee. Toxicological Status of Children with Autism vs. Neurotypical Children and the Association with Autism Severity. Biological Trace Element Research, 2012; 151 (2): 171 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-012-9551-1
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Feb. 24, 2013 ? A new method of harvesting the Sun's energy is emerging, thanks to scientists at UC Santa Barbara's Departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Materials. Though still in its infancy, the research promises to convert sunlight into energy using a process based on metals that are more robust than many of the semiconductors used in conventional methods.
The researchers' findings are published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
"It is the first radically new and potentially workable alternative to semiconductor-based solar conversion devices to be developed in the past 70 years or so," said Martin Moskovits, professor of chemistry at UCSB.
In conventional photoprocesses, a technology developed and used over the last century, sunlight hits the surface of semiconductor material, one side of which is electron-rich, while the other side is not. The photon, or light particle, excites the electrons, causing them to leave their postions, and create positively-charged "holes." The result is a current of charged particles that can be captured and delivered for various uses, including powering lightbulbs, charging batteries, or facilitating chemical reactions.
"For example, the electrons might cause hydrogen ions in water to be converted into hydrogen, a fuel, while the holes produce oxygen," said Moskovits.
In the technology developed by Moskovits and his team, it is not semiconductor materials that provide the electrons and venue for the conversion of solar energy, but nanostructured metals -- a "forest" of gold nanorods, to be specific.
For this experiment, gold nanorods were capped with a layer of crystalline titanium dioxide decorated with platinum nanoparticles, and set in water. A cobalt-based oxidation catalyst was deposited on the lower portion of the array.
"When nanostructures, such as nanorods, of certain metals are exposed to visible light, the conduction electrons of the metal can be caused to oscillate collectively, absorbing a great deal of the light," said Moskovits. "This excitation is called a surface plasmon."
As the "hot" electrons in these plasmonic waves are excited by light particles, some travel up the nanorod, through a filter layer of crystalline titanium dioxide, and are captured by platinum particles. This causes the reaction that splits hydrogen ions from the bond that forms water. Meanwhile, the holes left behind by the excited electrons head toward the cobalt-based catalyst on the lower part of the rod to form oxygen.
According to the study, hydrogen production was clearly observable after about two hours. Additionally, the nanorods were not subject to the photocorrosion that often causes traditional semiconductor material to fail in minutes.
"The device operated with no hint of failure for many weeks," Moskovits said.
The plasmonic method of splitting water is currently less efficient and more costly than conventional photoprocesses, but if the last century of photovoltaic technology has shown anything, it is that continued research will improve on the cost and efficiency of this new method -- and likely in far less time than it took for the semiconductor-based technology, said Moskovits.
"Despite the recentness of the discovery, we have already attained 'respectable' efficiencies. More importantly, we can imagine achievable strategies for improving the efficiencies radically," he said.
Research in this study was also performed by postdoctoral researchers Syed Mubeen and Joun Lee; grad student Nirala Singh; materials engineer Stephan Kraemer; and chemistry professor Galen Stucky.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Santa Barbara, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Syed Mubeen, Joun Lee, Nirala Singh, Stephan Kr?mer, Galen D. Stucky, Martin Moskovits. An autonomous photosynthetic device in which all charge carriers derive from surface plasmons. Nature Nanotechnology, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2013.18
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Johnson (7) scores over Milwaukee Bucks forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12) with time expiring for a 113-11 overtime victory in their NBA basketball game at Barclays Center, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Johnson (7) scores over Milwaukee Bucks forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12) with time expiring for a 113-11 overtime victory in their NBA basketball game at Barclays Center, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Brooklyn Nets guards C.J. Watson (1) and Joe Johnson (7) celebrate after Johnson scored with time expiring for a 113-111 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in their NBA basketball game at Barclays Center, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Milwaukee Bucks guard Monta Ellis (11) shoots over Brooklyn Nets forward Gerald Wallace (45) in the first half of their NBA basketball game at Barclays Center, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) steals the ball from Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders (8) as Nets guard Joe Johnson (7) and Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) watch in the first half of their NBA basketball game at Barclays Center, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) pulls in a pass as Brooklyn Nets forward Kris Humphries (43) defends in the first half of their NBA basketball game at Barclays Center, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Joe Johnson came through twice with big shots and helped the Brooklyn Nets end a long losing streak to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Johnson hit a tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter and then his buzzer-beating jumper at the end of overtime lifted the Nets to a 113-111 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.
"It's an unbelievable feeling," said Johnson, who finished with 24 points. "Regardless of the situation, whether it's regular season or playoffs, it's always a great feeling. And, just to see everybody kind of explode with excitement is probably the best feeling."
Brook Lopez and Deron Williams added 19 points each as the Nets snapped a 13-game skid against the Bucks dating back to March 30, 2009.
"The first game after (the All-Star break) is usually pretty sloppy," Williams said. "For us to get a win against a team that we lost 13 straight against is a good win for us."
The Nets were aware of their long losing streak but insist they weren't thinking about it during the game.
"(Coach P.J. Carlesimo) mentioned the streak before the game, but I don't think anybody took that out there with that on their mind," Brooklyn's Gerald Wallace said. "It wasn't anything about their streak. It was about us as team. It shows the fight we have."
Brandon Jennings scored 34 points to lead the Bucks. Ersan Ilyasova had 21 points, Monta Ellis added 18 and Larry Sanders 14.
Luc Mbah a Moute had given the Bucks a 111-108 lead with 2:58 left in overtime. The Nets tied the game on Keith Bogans' 3-pointer with 1:02 left.
Jennings, who scored 23 points after halftime, saw his short jumper go in and out with 15 to go. After a Nets timeout, Johnson was intentionally fouled by Mbah a Moute with 5 seconds left. The Nets inbounded again and Johnson won the game with his foul line jumper over Mbah A Moute.
"Joe Johnson makes big shots," Bucks coach Jim Boylan said. "It wasn't a shock that Brooklyn went to him. We knew that's where they'd be looking. Luc played him tough and Joe just made a great shot."
Johnson sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in regulation.
"Joe has been doing this his whole career," Carlesimo said. "The other guys did a good job with the execution and putting us in a good position, particularly the 3 at the end of regulation."
The Bucks trailed 61-51 at halftime, but outscored the Nets 30-19 in the third quarter to take an 81-80 lead.
Ekpe Udoh gave Milwaukee its biggest lead, 87-82, with 9:57 left in the game. However, Brooklyn's 10-4 run capped by a long jumper from Andre Blatche gave the Nets a 92-91 lead with 6:24 left.
Blatche scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.
Sanders' tip-in of Jennings' missed layup attempt gave the Bucks a 103-102 lead with 10 seconds left in regulation. After Williams was called for an offensive foul with 7 seconds left, Jennings was fouled and made both free throws.
That set up Johnson's tying 3.
The Nets took a 56-41 lead ? their largest of the game ? on Lopez's jumper with 2:29 left in the first half.
The Nets led 31-24 after the first quarter, having made 7 of 8 free throws while the Bucks didn't attempt any.
"We've got to turn it on right from the very beginning," Boylan said. "We're not Oklahoma City or Miami or something like that. We've got to play hard for 48 minutes."
C.J. Watson added 11 points for Brooklyn.
NOTES: The Nets had lost seven straight at home to the Bucks. Their last victory on their home floor came on Feb. 3, 2009, by a score of 99-85. ... The Nets are 5-0 in overtime this season and are on a NBA-best 10-game winning streak in overtime games. ... The Bucks are now 27-17 all-time in games immediately following the All-Star break. ... The Nets improved to 18-8 under Carlesimo, the second-best start under any of their previous 21 coaches. Lawrence Frank's team started 19-6 in 2003-04.
Contact: David Glickson david.glickson@nrel.gov 303-275-4097 DOE/National Renewable Energy Laboratory
It was a nail-biter of a finish at the 2013 Colorado High School Regional Science Bowl, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), as a record 42 teams including 10 schools participating for the first time competed for a chance to challenge for the national title. The winner of the Colorado Science Bowl travels to Washington, D.C., for the National Science Bowl in April.
After a full day answering rapid-fire questions in physics, mathematics, biology, chemistry, earth and space sciences, and energy and general sciences, Lakewood High School (Lakewood, Colo.) scored a dramatic victory in the final elimination round to claim the Colorado championship and advance to the national competition. They defeated an experienced Cheyenne Mountain High School (Colorado Springs) team, which had made it to the final round of the competition for the third year in a row.
Lakewood Takes First Colorado Title
"This is pretty exciting," Lakewood team captain Tommy Fan said. "I felt that we were well prepared, but the competition here is so tough. I was just hoping we'd make it out of the morning elimination round. I'm thrilled that we won and will have the opportunity to represent Colorado at nationals."
Four teenage boys sit behind a table during the 2013 Colorado High School Science Bowl, discussing the answer to a question in the final round of the competition. Enlarge image
Lakewood High School competes in the finals of the 2013 Colorado High School Regional Science Bowl. The team took first place at the event. From left: Peter Kim, Eli Veal, Tommy Fan, and Tyler Middleton.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
Lakewood won the competition for the first time after participating for 11 years. They came from behind to defeat the Cheyenne Mountain team in the final round with a score of 38 to 16.
Members of the winning Lakewood team will begin their journey for the national title in Washington, D.C., on April 25. DOE and NREL sponsor the Science Bowl program to provide an opportunity for students to embrace science, technology, engineering, and math studies as a primer for collegiate success and future careers.
"NREL is pleased to support the Colorado Science Bowl," said NREL Deputy Director for Science and Technology Dana Christensen. "It is important that we are actively encouraging the next generation of scientists and engineers, and programs like this act as a catalyst to help students make their decisions on what they want to study in the future. Our hope is that based on the positive experience of participating in Science Bowl, a lot of these students will make the decision to pursue a course of study in science or engineering."
More than 15,000 students across the United States compete for a trip to participate in the National Science Bowl. Only about 600 make it. The Lakewood team knows they will need to be at the top of their game as they prepare to go up against the best in the nation.
"We're going to need to study a lot more between now and April and go really in depth," team member Jacob Stufflebeam said. "For this competition we were mostly relying on the science we already knew and focusing on how to apply it to this type of competitive format. But now we are really going to need to step up our knowledge base to be ready for nationals. It's an exciting opportunity to learn more and test our knowledge against the best."
Competition Sees New Teams, Fresh Faces
Four team members are shown sitting at a table listening intently to a question during the competition. Enlarge image
South Park High School's team was a first-time competitor at the 2013 Colorado High School Regional Science Bowl. From left: Josh Robison, Shannon Hessler, Lou Clark, and Garrett Copeland (Joey Wilson not pictured).
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
In addition to an exciting finish and first-time champion, the Colorado competition this year was also notable for an explosion in new participation from schools around the state. Ten schools participated in the completion for the very first time.
First-time participants from Ellicott High School (Ellicott, Colo.) were very much in the spirit of the competition with their highly recognizable tie-dyed lab coats. Though they were eliminated in the morning round, the team thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of Science Bowl.
"There are a lot of awesome people here, and we're so glad to have a chance to participate," Ellicott team captain Adam Moser said. "It's great to see so many kids out there that are interested in the same topics we are and to have a chance to test our skills against them. We've learned a lot from the experience and look forward to coming back next year."
One first-time school acquitted themselves particularly well in the completion. Tiny South Park High School (Fairplay, Colo.) has just over 130 students in the high school portion of their combined middle and high school. They struggled to find enough students to round out their team. Yet, they performed well enough to come out of the morning competition and win a couple of double-elimination rounds before ultimately being eliminated all while competing against much larger urban and suburban schools with years of experience in the competition.
"We were really terrified in the first round, and our performance was not very good as a result," South Park High School team captain Shannon Hessler said. "Then we settled down and won the next round, which boosted our confidence. There are some really smart people here, and it felt good to know that we could hold our own with them. And we had a lot of fun, too."
The influx of new participants into the Science Bowl gave more experienced hands an opportunity to mentor the new students. Cheyenne Mountain High School senior Sara Volz has participated in Science Bowl all four years of high school, and her team made it to the final round three of those years. Volz will graduate this year and head off to MIT to study biochemistry, but first offers some advice to new students coming into the Science Bowl program.
"A lot of success in Science Bowl is about what you know," Volz said. "But even more of it is about working with your teammates and helping each other improve. The most important thing is not to get discouraged if you have a bad round or miss a few questions, and to just stay focused on the next one."
NREL Staff Pleased to Nurture Next Generation Scientists
A member of one high school team shakes hands with a member of an opposing team. Several other student participants look on. Enlarge image
Cheyenne Mountain High School senior Sara Volz, right, shakes hands with Cherry Creek's Karthik Vishwamitra after a semifinal match at the 2013 Colorado High School Regional Science Bowl.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
Seeing students like Volz engaged in the sciences inspires NREL volunteer Carolyn Elam, manager of NREL's Energy Systems Integration Facility. "Competitions like this really help to motivate kids around these topic areas, and it's really important for us to support this because they are the next generation of scientists and engineers."
The Colorado Science Bowl is a large undertaking for NREL staff. It takes nearly 70 volunteers to run the competition on the day of the event, and many staffers return year after year. "This is my fourth year volunteering at Science Bowl," said Ian Metzger, an engineer in NREL's Integrated Applications Center. "It's a great experience, and I wish that there was a similar program where I went to high school."
NREL staff continue to participate in the event year after year as an opportunity to support and mentor students to excel in math and sciences.
"This is such a valuable program because it encourages the brightest young men and women in the country to pursue academic paths related to science," Metzger said. "It is really important that NREL and DOE get behind this type of program and encourage these students. We will be counting on them to someday continue the work we have begun in advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies as we strive to overcome present and future energy challenges."
###
Learn more about NREL's Education Programs for middle school, high school, and college internships.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Contact: David Glickson david.glickson@nrel.gov 303-275-4097 DOE/National Renewable Energy Laboratory
It was a nail-biter of a finish at the 2013 Colorado High School Regional Science Bowl, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), as a record 42 teams including 10 schools participating for the first time competed for a chance to challenge for the national title. The winner of the Colorado Science Bowl travels to Washington, D.C., for the National Science Bowl in April.
After a full day answering rapid-fire questions in physics, mathematics, biology, chemistry, earth and space sciences, and energy and general sciences, Lakewood High School (Lakewood, Colo.) scored a dramatic victory in the final elimination round to claim the Colorado championship and advance to the national competition. They defeated an experienced Cheyenne Mountain High School (Colorado Springs) team, which had made it to the final round of the competition for the third year in a row.
Lakewood Takes First Colorado Title
"This is pretty exciting," Lakewood team captain Tommy Fan said. "I felt that we were well prepared, but the competition here is so tough. I was just hoping we'd make it out of the morning elimination round. I'm thrilled that we won and will have the opportunity to represent Colorado at nationals."
Four teenage boys sit behind a table during the 2013 Colorado High School Science Bowl, discussing the answer to a question in the final round of the competition. Enlarge image
Lakewood High School competes in the finals of the 2013 Colorado High School Regional Science Bowl. The team took first place at the event. From left: Peter Kim, Eli Veal, Tommy Fan, and Tyler Middleton.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
Lakewood won the competition for the first time after participating for 11 years. They came from behind to defeat the Cheyenne Mountain team in the final round with a score of 38 to 16.
Members of the winning Lakewood team will begin their journey for the national title in Washington, D.C., on April 25. DOE and NREL sponsor the Science Bowl program to provide an opportunity for students to embrace science, technology, engineering, and math studies as a primer for collegiate success and future careers.
"NREL is pleased to support the Colorado Science Bowl," said NREL Deputy Director for Science and Technology Dana Christensen. "It is important that we are actively encouraging the next generation of scientists and engineers, and programs like this act as a catalyst to help students make their decisions on what they want to study in the future. Our hope is that based on the positive experience of participating in Science Bowl, a lot of these students will make the decision to pursue a course of study in science or engineering."
More than 15,000 students across the United States compete for a trip to participate in the National Science Bowl. Only about 600 make it. The Lakewood team knows they will need to be at the top of their game as they prepare to go up against the best in the nation.
"We're going to need to study a lot more between now and April and go really in depth," team member Jacob Stufflebeam said. "For this competition we were mostly relying on the science we already knew and focusing on how to apply it to this type of competitive format. But now we are really going to need to step up our knowledge base to be ready for nationals. It's an exciting opportunity to learn more and test our knowledge against the best."
Competition Sees New Teams, Fresh Faces
Four team members are shown sitting at a table listening intently to a question during the competition. Enlarge image
South Park High School's team was a first-time competitor at the 2013 Colorado High School Regional Science Bowl. From left: Josh Robison, Shannon Hessler, Lou Clark, and Garrett Copeland (Joey Wilson not pictured).
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
In addition to an exciting finish and first-time champion, the Colorado competition this year was also notable for an explosion in new participation from schools around the state. Ten schools participated in the completion for the very first time.
First-time participants from Ellicott High School (Ellicott, Colo.) were very much in the spirit of the competition with their highly recognizable tie-dyed lab coats. Though they were eliminated in the morning round, the team thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of Science Bowl.
"There are a lot of awesome people here, and we're so glad to have a chance to participate," Ellicott team captain Adam Moser said. "It's great to see so many kids out there that are interested in the same topics we are and to have a chance to test our skills against them. We've learned a lot from the experience and look forward to coming back next year."
One first-time school acquitted themselves particularly well in the completion. Tiny South Park High School (Fairplay, Colo.) has just over 130 students in the high school portion of their combined middle and high school. They struggled to find enough students to round out their team. Yet, they performed well enough to come out of the morning competition and win a couple of double-elimination rounds before ultimately being eliminated all while competing against much larger urban and suburban schools with years of experience in the competition.
"We were really terrified in the first round, and our performance was not very good as a result," South Park High School team captain Shannon Hessler said. "Then we settled down and won the next round, which boosted our confidence. There are some really smart people here, and it felt good to know that we could hold our own with them. And we had a lot of fun, too."
The influx of new participants into the Science Bowl gave more experienced hands an opportunity to mentor the new students. Cheyenne Mountain High School senior Sara Volz has participated in Science Bowl all four years of high school, and her team made it to the final round three of those years. Volz will graduate this year and head off to MIT to study biochemistry, but first offers some advice to new students coming into the Science Bowl program.
"A lot of success in Science Bowl is about what you know," Volz said. "But even more of it is about working with your teammates and helping each other improve. The most important thing is not to get discouraged if you have a bad round or miss a few questions, and to just stay focused on the next one."
NREL Staff Pleased to Nurture Next Generation Scientists
A member of one high school team shakes hands with a member of an opposing team. Several other student participants look on. Enlarge image
Cheyenne Mountain High School senior Sara Volz, right, shakes hands with Cherry Creek's Karthik Vishwamitra after a semifinal match at the 2013 Colorado High School Regional Science Bowl.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
Seeing students like Volz engaged in the sciences inspires NREL volunteer Carolyn Elam, manager of NREL's Energy Systems Integration Facility. "Competitions like this really help to motivate kids around these topic areas, and it's really important for us to support this because they are the next generation of scientists and engineers."
The Colorado Science Bowl is a large undertaking for NREL staff. It takes nearly 70 volunteers to run the competition on the day of the event, and many staffers return year after year. "This is my fourth year volunteering at Science Bowl," said Ian Metzger, an engineer in NREL's Integrated Applications Center. "It's a great experience, and I wish that there was a similar program where I went to high school."
NREL staff continue to participate in the event year after year as an opportunity to support and mentor students to excel in math and sciences.
"This is such a valuable program because it encourages the brightest young men and women in the country to pursue academic paths related to science," Metzger said. "It is really important that NREL and DOE get behind this type of program and encourage these students. We will be counting on them to someday continue the work we have begun in advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies as we strive to overcome present and future energy challenges."
###
Learn more about NREL's Education Programs for middle school, high school, and college internships.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.