Portland, Ore. – In a showdown across the Columbia River, Westview High School Team 1 of Beaverton, Oregon, took on Mountain View High School of Vancouver, Washington, for the title of champion in the Bonneville Power Administration Regional Science Bowl on Saturday at the University of Portland. Westview High School Team 1 emerged victorious over Mountain View and now advances to the Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., at the end of April. Jesuit High School of Beaverton battled their way to third place, while Westview High School Team 2 of Beaverton rounded out the competition in fourth. Those Beaverton and Vancouver teams were part of roughly 250 students from public and private high school teams across western Washington and Oregon, who competed in the nation’s largest regional science bowl. On Feb. 8, Stoller Middle School from Portland outcompeted a field of 62 teams to win the middle school competition for the regional science bowl and will also advance to the National Science Bowl. In second place, Timberline Middle School of Redmond, Washington, made a strong showing. Shahalah Middle School of Vancouver, Washington, finished in third. The event, sponsored by BPA and the University of Portland, is the largest regional science bowl in the nation. The intense academic event uses a Jeopardy-style round robin competition that showcases students’ talents in science, technology, engineering and math. Beyond the prestige of winning and entry into the national competition, BPA and science bowl volunteers have worked to establish partnerships with 16 universities and colleges in the Northwest to offer members of the top three competing high school teams more than $150,000 in potential scholarships. The event is fueled by more than 180 volunteers, made up largely of BPA employees and previous competitors returning to the event to pay it forward to other young people. Among those competitors returning as volunteers are a cardiologist from Seattle, an MIT student and the architect for the Seattle Opera at the Center. BPA views this event as an opportunity to encourage students to consider STEM-based careers and build the future labor pool of scientists and innovators so critical to the energy industry.