Each of the winners topped 23 other competing teams in this battle to be the best and brightest among the country's young science students.

During a daylong round robin and double elimination competition, the Honey Creek team of Raj Bhuptani, Joseph Botros, John Ryan and Pardha Ponugoti successfully answered tough questions about life sciences, physical science, earth sciences and math that could stump most of the U.S. adult population. These whiz kids beat out the team from Amarillo, Texas, in the final round of competition. The team from St. Andrew's Episcopal School earned second place, while Lincoln Middle School of Gainesville, Fla. came in third. In addition, organizers gave a civility award to Albuquerque Academy of Albuquerque, N.M., for showing the most positive spirit. A complete list of winners and participants follows.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors (GM), the National Middle School Science Bowl challenges sixth grade to eighth grade students to learn about math and science and encourages them to choose careers in those fields.

"Events like the National Middle School Science Bowl can spark lifelong interest in science and technology," said Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman. "Grabbing their interest now will help to ensure America's continued leadership in mathematics and scientific research."

"It's great to see so many students excited about math and science," said Elizabeth Lowery, GM vice president, Environment and Energy. "These students are the future and it's important to educate them and encourage their interest in the ever-growing field of science and technology."

The National Middle School Science Bowl competition, hosted by the DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory at the Colorado School of Mines, featured two competitions - the academic session and a model hydrogen fuel cell car competition that challenged students to design, build and race model hydrogen-powered cars.

First, second and third place winners of the model hydrogen fuel cell car competition receive a $100, $75 or $50 gift certificate from Discovery.com. The first, second and third place winners of the scientific knowledge competition will receive TI-73 calculators in addition to the $100, $75 and $50 Discovery.com gift certificates. The eight teams that advanced to the double elimination rounds for the Science Bowl competition also receives a team check for $500.

Following on the success of the National Science Bowl for senior high school students begun in 1991, DOE's Office of Science began the National Middle School Science Bowl in 2002. The department supports math and science education to help provide a technically trained and diverse workforce for the agency and the nation. More information about its programs is available at http://www.scied.science.doe.gov.

DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the nation and ensures U.S. world leadership across a broad range of scientific disciplines. The Office of Science also manages 11 world-class national laboratories with unmatched capabilities for solving complex interdisciplinary problems, and it builds and operates some of the nation's most advanced R & D user facilities, located at national laboratories and universities. These facilities are used by more than 17,000 researchers from universities, other government agencies, and private industry each year.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader since 1931. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 321,000 people around the world. It has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 200 countries. In 2004, GM sold nearly 9 million cars and trucks globally, up 4 percent and the second-highest total in the company's history. GM's global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM, its advanced technologies and educational initiatives can be found on the company's corporate responsibility Web site at http://www.gmability.com.

-Source US Department of Energy