“Congratulations to this year’s winners.  Their hard work paid off.  By winning our regional championship North Hollywood High School Science Bowl Team A has to be considered one of the top teams in the country,” said LADWP General Manager Ronald Nichols. “Los Angeles will be well represented at this year’s national competition.  We are very proud of their accomplishment and of all the teams and competitors at this year’s event,” he said.

As regional title holders, the North Hollywood High School team will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE), to represent the City of Los Angeles at the National Science Bowl April 28 to May 2, 2011. Team members also win the Hitachi Scholarship.

Last year the regional championship team from North Hollywood High School placed third at the National Science Bowl.  Previous LADWP regional winning teams captured four national titles and placed among the top five teams nationally 10 times.

This year, second place winners Harvard-Westlake School Team B also gave an impressive performance, as well as third place team Bravo Medical Magnet High School and fourth place ranked North Hollywood High School Team B.

Students showed incredible skill and problem solving abilities in the special Franklin Lu Hands-On Competition, named after the late LADWP electrical engineer and Science Bowl volunteer. This year’s competition involved solving a series of puzzles, complex chemical formulas and designing, assembling and flying paper airplanes within a limited amount of time.

The recipient of the first place Franklin Lu Hands-On trophy was Lincoln High School Team B. Team members receive the First Wind Scholarship. The second place award was presented to Reseda High School Team B. Third and fourth places were awarded to Granada Hills Charter High School Team B and Bravo Medical Magnet High School Team B, respectively.

Science Bowl is a proud LADWP tradition and excellent example of the Department’s commitment to the Los Angeles educational community.  Each year, the LADWP Science Bowl tests the city’s sharpest students’ reflexes, teamwork skills and knowledge in a fun competitive atmosphere following a television game show format.  LADWP is one of only a few utilities in the nation to serve as a coordinating regional sponsor and host.

LADWP is involved in a number of educational partnership and community programs including the Adopt-A-School Program and the Times in Education Program, development with the Los Angeles Unified School District on lessons in renewable energy and conservation and in chemistry related to water lab activities. LADWP sponsors an electric safety program for elementary schools and online water and energy science and math lessons at the secondary level as well as electric safety activities for kids. Further information about LADWP education programs is available by visiting www.ladwp.com, clicking on the “Community Involvement” section and then selecting “LADWP in the School.”

In addition to LADWP, sponsors for this year’s Science Bowl included, First Wind, the Hitachi Southern California Regional Community Action Committee, the Hitachi Foundation, Clary Corporation, IEEE, the Water and Power Community Credit Union, the Engineers’ Council, Office Depot, the Los Angeles Unified School District and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The LADWP is the nation’s largest municipally-owned utility in the nation with 1.4 million customers. It has provided utility services to residents and business in Los Angeles for more than 100 years.

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WALTER ZEISL
(213) 367-1342, cell phone (213) 923-6468
walter.zeisl@ladwp.com

KIMBERLEY HUGHES
(213) 367-4417, cell phone (213 792-9599
kimberley.hughes@ladwp.com

MAYCHELLE YEE
(213) 367-1368, cell phone (213) 804-3173
maychelle.yee@ladwp.com