VENICE HIGH BESTS VAN NUYS, ADVANCES TO SCIENCE BOWL FINALS.Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer Van Nuys High School Van Nuys High School (VNHS) established in 1914, is a high school in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles, California, belonging to the Los Angeles Unified School District: District 2. , defending a national championship in the Science Bowl, was upset in a regional competition Saturday by the Venice High School Venice High School may refer to:
The two squads faced off in the last match of a double-elimination tournament that included teams from 30 other public, private and parochial schools. The daylong contest, sponsored by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving 3.9 million residents in 2006. It was founded in 1902 to deliver water and electricity supplies to residents and businesses in Los Angeles. , was held at the utility's downtown headquarters. After the final buzzer, Van Nuys had scored 88 points to Venice's 122. Because Van Nuys had lost one match earlier in the tournament, the team came into the finals needing to beat Venice twice; instead the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. squad lost the first game. Despite months of study and practice, team member Gabriel Zada, 17, took Van Nuys' loss in stride. "It wasn't in vain, because I learned a lot. I probably know 50 times more about science now," Zada said. "We just came out and did our best. We got a gold medal for effort," he said. Not to mention lovely parting gifts - a pocket calculator and a T-shirt showing Albert Einstein. Participants were quizzed about biology, astronomy, chemistry, computer science, geology, genetics and seismology seismology (sīzmŏl`əjē, sīs–), scientific study of earthquakes and related phenomena, including the propagation of waves and shocks on or within the earth by natural or artificially generated seismic signals. , using the often mystifying mys·ti·fy tr.v. mys·ti·fied, mys·ti·fy·ing, mys·ti·fies 1. To confuse or puzzle mentally. See Synonyms at puzzle. 2. To make obscure or mysterious. - to the uninitiated - vocabulary of each academic discipline. There were queries about recombinant DNA recombinant DNA n. Genetically engineered DNA prepared by transplanting or splicing one or more segments of DNA into the chromosomes of an organism from a different species. Such DNA becomes part of the host's genetic makeup and is replicated. , Halley's comet, and the metal with the highest melting point (answer: tungsten). At one point in a semifinal match between Van Nuys and North Hollywood high schools, play was suspended for several minutes amid confusion over a vaguely worded question about constant velocity. Judges huddled, trying to decide if the answer should be a circle or a parabola, while the audience of 350 loudly debated the correct response and shouted for the question to be thrown out. Meanwhile, after Van Nuys' five-boy squad congratulated the winners, Venice's three boys and two girls reflected on their Science Bowl victory. Most said having four returning players from last year's squad gave them an edge over Van Nuys. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion