Mira Loma HS Students Win National Science Bowl

Carmichael Patch Whiz Kids:

Names: Andrew Chen, Russ Islam, Anish Khare and Sriram Pendyala, seniors and Siddharth Trehan, sophomore

School: Mira Loma High School

Accomplishment: The Mira Loma students beat more than 60 other schools in the National Science Bowl competition April 28-May 2 in Washington.

Key to Awesomeness: Which of the following compounds is 33 percent by mass Nitrogen? W. Ammonia X. Urea Y. Uric Acid Z. Urease

If you guessed Y, you could have been on the winning Mira Loma team that earned a $1,000 check, a trophy and a two-week trip to Australia for the International Science School at the University of Sydney.

"I'm really proud to represent my school," said Chen, the team captain who will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall, where he will major in biological engineering. "It's a very good academic experience and a great social experience."

The competition featured questions in biology, chemistry, math, physics, energy and earth science/astronomy.

Mira Loma has competed in 15 National Science Bowls, having last won it in 2009 with Chen and Pendyala on the team and runner-up last year.

"The competition makes science more accessible to all students," said Pendyala, the team's chemistry and physics expert who will attend Harvard University to study chemistry and economics.

The team practices year round and even during school vacations. Islam will attend Stanford University, where he will major in biology and economics and Khare will go to the University of California, Berkeley to study mechanical engineering.

"They worked long and hard and they're deserving," said team coach James Hill. "I hate to see them leave because they're part of my family."