Edina High School is representing Minnesota at the National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., this spring.

One of two teams from Edina grabbed its place among the 16 spots in the finals after winning the regional competition Saturday at Macalester College in St. Paul, where 32 teams from 22 schools matched wits.

A series of 116 regional tournaments at the middle- and high school levels are being held across the country through March. Each national qualifier earns $1,000 for their science departments along with the all-expenses-paid trip to the national event.

Minnesota's Science Bowl for middle schools is scheduled for Feb. 13 at the University of St. Thomas.

"I am honored to congratulate all of the competitors who are advancing to the national finals, where they will continue to showcase their talents as top students in math and science," U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said in a statement announcing Edina's qualification.

The students on Edina High's team are Jenny Zhang, Mathew Zappa, Michael Tang, Meghana Iyer and Bobby Scalia. Their coach and science teacher is Mike Roddy.

The 26th National Science Bowl, scheduled for April 28 to May 2, will bring together students from across the country to compete in a fast-paced question-and-answer format, where they solve technical problems and answer questions covering biology, chemistry, Earth and space science, physics and math. The Energy Department's Office of Science manages the national competition.

Prizes at the national competition have yet to be determined. The high school team that won in 2015 received a nine-day, all-expenses-paid science trip to Alaska, where they learned more about glaciology, marine and avian biology, geology and plate tectonics. The second-place team won a five-day, fully guided adventure tour of several national parks, including a white-water rafting trip.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482