Dozens of high school students from around the state will compete in the STEP (Science and Technology Entry Program) Regional Science Bowl Saturday, Feb. 5 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at College Park Hall.
The keynote speaker is Quintin Bullock, president of Schenectady County Community College.
STEP encourages historically underrepresented students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. The Science Bowl is a “Jeopardy”-style contest in which teams compete in several rounds. Each squad is mentored by one of about a dozen institutions, including Union, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University at Albany and Syracuse University.
Union’s STEP program is run through the Kenney Community Center. The College’s two teams are coached by Denly Lettsome ’11 and Emilia Strzalkowska ’11, with assistance from Chris Vargas ’11. In addition, nearly 50 Union students will volunteer as moderators, judges, timekeepers and scorekeepers.
This is the second straight year Union is hosting the competition, now in its 21st year. Competition begins at 9 a.m. with a round-robin format featuring the 16 participating teams. The top eight teams advance to the final round, with the championship scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
The winning team will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. in May to compete in the national competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Last year, a team from SUNY Farmingdale took top honors.
Saturday’s event is sponsored by the President’s Office.