NOBCChE's 2011 Science Bowl And Fair

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NOBCChE, black chemists, science bowl

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Pressure Team SASA Dragons, from Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy, in Michigan, faces off against Team Timbuktu Obama, from Timbuktu Academy, in Baton Rouge, La., during the science bowl senior division finals.

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When the grade-schoolers arrived in Houston for the 38th annual meeting of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists & Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) to compete in a science bowl and fair, their presence was noticeable. In the lobby of the Hilton-Americas Hotel, where the conference was being held, bellhop carts sat, loaded with snack packs and juice boxes. Laughter and the low hum of excited chatter filled the halls and common areas of the conference site.

Having carefully prepared their science fair projects and crammed to learn the answers to science quiz questions, 127 middle and high school students, some of whom traveled from as far away as New York, were ready to face off.

NOBCChE holds these annual competitions, which this year were sponsored by the American Chemical Society, at its national meeting to encourage youngsters to get interested in science—particularly chemistry—and to become involved with the organization. The science bowl is a round-robin event during which teams of four players answer trivia questions about famous African American scientists and about biology, chemistry, and the other sciences. The science fair gives grade-schoolers an opportunity to present the results of an independent experiment they've conducted.

Following is a list of some of this year's winners:

Science Bowl

First place, junior division (grades 6–8):

Team SASA Nation from Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy, Michigan: Wahaj Ansari, Afua Ofori-Darko, Kofi Ofori-Darko, Varun Shankar, and John Smith.

Second place, junior division:

Team White Pine from White Pine Middle School, Saginaw, Mich.: Justin Acker, Elyse Adamo, Mitchell Agrwal, Ryan Fattal, and Quentin Mack.

First place, senior division (grades 9–12):

Team SASA Dragons from Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy, Michigan: Dalton Allan, Jordan Drake, Alexandriya Emonds, Kwaku Ofori-Darko, and Bradley Yurgens.

Second place, senior division:

Team Timbuktu Obama from Timbuktu Academy, Baton Rouge, La.: Ikeji Akujobi, Jaylun Brumfield, Shane Griffin, and Kevin Paul II.

Science Fair

First place, junior division (grades 6–8):

Varun Shankar from Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy, Michigan, with a project titled "Is Amoxicillin Your Best Bet for Group-A Strep?"

Second place, junior division:

Afua Ofori-Darko from Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy, Michigan, with a project titled "Do Different Juices Affect the Effectiveness of Antibiotics?"

First place, senior division (grades 9–12):

Nikolas Albarran from City Honors School, Buffalo, with a project titled "Using Chlorella Pyrenoidosa To Create Biodiesel Fuel."

Second place, senior division:

Lydia Mensah from Timbuktu Academy, Baton Rouge, La., with a project titled "Don't Fret: A Project on Standing Waves."

Chemical & Engineering News

ISSN 0009-2347

Copyright © 2011 American Chemical Society