Today as I was driving to work the news did a short report about Homestead High School students going to the 18th annual National Science Bowl sponsored by the Department of Energy. This is a contest where you answer questions about a variety of scientific subjects. Everyone gets a buzzer and you buzz in with your answer for points. It is sort of like Jeopardy, but it’s multiple choice. That news clip stirred up quite a few memories because I participated in that contest when I was in high school and my team made it to the nationals two years in a row after winning the East Bay regionals. We all got an all expense paid trip to Washington DC and had a lot of fun. I would say that was one of the highlights of high school for me.

Even though it has been seven years, I still remember the day of the regionals of the second year I participated. Since it was on a weekend I overslept and my physics teacher’s van was at my door. My teammate knocked on my door and my mom woke me up and I ran down with my hair uncombed and hopped in the van. We won after a few hours of intense competition. A few months later we were flown to DC and participated in the nationals. We met some really weird New Yorkers there. One of the New Yorkers looked so much like one of our classmates that they could be twins. What’s weirder is that they and had the same first name and last initial. I took pictures of him and took it home for comparison. That year my parents actually went to Washington with me just for fun. They had to pay for their trip, but it seems that they liked DC a lot. I really loved touring the Smithsonian and it really takes days to look at everything in those museums and I am so glad they are free for everyone. That year we came in the top 12 in the competition and won $1000 for our school.

Quite a few of my best friends were on the team and we don’t see each other much these days since we all live in different parts of the country now. The girl that’s my best friend is now a bioengineering PhD at MIT, and another best friend is now going to medical school in Cleveland (he still comes to read my blog and leave comments from time to time ). Another older guy is now doing a geophysics PhD at Harvard. I think another guy is also in grad school for something or other in San Diego. Looking back, I think they have always been the real hardcore science nerds and that is why they are all going to be doctors and scientists now. I think I was on the team because I was quick with a buzzer and I had a lot of random knowledge about rocks, poisons, and diseases. I enjoyed the game and competition, but I always knew that I would not devote my life to science. That is why I am the only one in that club that did not go on to a PhD and I have to say I am quite content with my decision. I also think that my friends are where they need to be, because frankly they are brilliant and maybe one of them will change the world.

So in summary, here are the random thoughts from this session of reminiscing:

1) Science is fun
2) You could win great prizes by being good at trivia and buzzers. Heck, Ken Jennings won over $2 million on Jeopardy.
3) Devoting your life to science isn’t as easy as donating your cadaver

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