High school science students from across the state come to Pellissippi State Community College this weekend (Feb. 18-19) for the Department of Energy’s 2011 Tennessee Science Bowl.
Pellissippi State marks its 20th year of hosting the event and the first at the new Blount County Campus, 2731 W. Lamar Alexander Pkwy. (U.S. 321).
With 250-300 students vying for a chance to go to the DOE National Science Bowl and about 200 volunteers, the competition requires a lot of space.
“We’ll use the entire building,” said Chris Milne, a Pellissippi State biology professor who coordinates the college’s participation in the event. “We’ll use 24-26 rooms on this campus this round. If we had more, we’d use more.”
Pellissippi State anticipates the arrival of 50 teams from 41 high schools across Tennessee. The competition begins Saturday.
This is also the inaugural year for the 2011 Tennessee Science Bowl as a two-day event. On Friday, students register, get their photos taken and attend a banquet at the Airport Hilton.
Bill Bass, a University of Tennessee professor emeritus and author of “Beyond the Body Farm: A Legendary Bone Detective Explores Murders, Mysteries, and the Revolution in Forensic Science,” is the guest speaker.
Pellissippi State, the Knoxville News Sentinel, Oak Ridge Associated Universities and Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education sponsor the event.
Visit www.orau.gov/sciencebowl to learn more about the 2011 Tennessee Science Bowl and its sponsorship and volunteer opportunities.