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News Release
BOISE STATE NEWS RELEASE / April 6, 2009
Local Fifth Grader Karthik Mouli Wins Idaho National
Geographic Bee and a Chance at the National Title
Karthik Mouli of Boise won the Idaho National Geographic Bee hosted by Boise
State University Friday, April 3. The 10-year-old is part of an enclosed
class of extremely gifted fifth graders at Hillside Junior High School, and
he proved his abilities by edging out two older students for the top prize
of $100 and a trip to Washington D.C. for the National Geographic Bee in
May.
Mouli’s winning question was: “Pula, a port city on the Adriatic Sea, is an
industrial center and resort area in which country?” He correctly answered,
“Croatia,” beating runner-up Helena Kirkland, a sixth grader from Moscow,
and third place winner Ethan Judd, an eighth grader from Burley.
Competition for the state title involved 100 finalists in grades four
through eight, all of them hoping for a shot at the top national prizes of
college scholarships worth $10,000 and $15,000 and a first place package
including a $25,000 scholarship and a trip to the Galapagos Islands with
Alex Trebek, host of “Jeopardy” and moderator of the 2009 National
Geographic Bee. But organizers insist even those who don’t take top honors
benefit from being challenged to go beyond the basic curriculum.
“I have two degrees in geography, and I couldn’t compete with these kids,”
said David Wilkins, an associate professor of geosciences at Boise State and
director of this year’s Idaho National Geographic Bee. “What these students
have learned gearing up for this competition is a foundation they can take
and run with.”
For more information on the competition, visit
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee.
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Media Contact: Erin Ryan, University Communications, (208) 426-4910,
erinryan@boisestate.edu
Boise State University is “The New U Rising” with record student
enrollment, new academic buildings, additional degree programs and a growing
research agenda. Learn more at
www.boisestate.edu.
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Last reviewed on
Monday, April 06, 2009
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