Winners of 2026 Southeastern New Mexico Regional Science Bowl Announced

The winning team will compete at the National Science Bowl in Washington, DC in April

CARLSBAD, NM, February 7, 2026, ─ After a nearly a full day of intense academic competition, Team 1 from New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) in Roswell was named champion of the third annual Southeastern New Mexico Regional Science Bowl. This was NMMI’s third championship win in the past three years.

Hosted and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Salado Isolation Mining Contractors (SIMCO), ten teams of students competed in a round-robin style competition, each hoping to represent the SE New Mexico region at the National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., April 28 – May 4, 2026.

The competition was held at Southeast New Mexico College in Carlsbad, where teams from Carlsbad Early College High School, New Mexico Military Institute, Carlsbad High School and Hobbs High School participated. Team 1 from NMMI emerged the winner and is moving on to compete nationally. Team 2 from Carlsbad High School finished second, followed by Team 2 at NMMI in third place.

Throughout the 34-year history of the National Science Bowl, approximately 344,000 students have competed in the National Science Bowl® program. Teams are composed of four students, one alternate and a teacher who serves as an advisor and coach. The competition tests the students on a range of science disciplines including biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, energy and math. The DOE Office of Science manages the National Science Bowl® and sponsors the final competitions in DC.

First Place – New Mexico Military Institute Team 1

Coach:             Colonel Aonan Tang
Team:              Lucas Tang, Yamming Wu, Leon Kaufmann Martinez, Sooah Kim, Sylvia Xu

Second Place – Carlsbad High School Team 2

Coach:             Danelle Middleton
Team:              Jack Dodd, Raj Bhakta, Chloe Melvin, August McCuaig, Olivia Jang

Third Place – New Mexico Military Institute Team 2

Coach:             Colonel Aonan Tang
Team:              Kevin Chang, Colin Zhang, Nikola Frye, Tianxing Li, Vittorio Vettore