Morgantown High School
Morgantown High School
Joseph Melia, Coach
Coach Joseph Melia has been teaching for fifteen years at Morgantown High School and currently teaches AP and honors chemistry. He has been coaching the Science Bowl team for thirteen humbling years, and this is his eighth trip to the National Science Bowl. He also sponsors/participates in the Ping-Pong and Green Initiative Clubs. He earned a B.Ss degree from the University of Pittsburgh, a M.A. degree from West Virginia University and a J.D. from West Virginia University. In his free time, Coach Joe enjoys all outdoor activities (especially hiking, camping, and fishing), playing sports, reading books, and, more importantly, doing all these things with his wife of sixteen years, daughters ages fifteen and eleven, and his six year old labrador/border collie friend.
Elena Kurov
When Elena Kurov was in middle school, one of her teachers scolded her for smiling too much. Now, by the start of the National Science Bowl, Elena will have finished her last day at Morgantown High School! Elena's favorite subject to study is neuroscience because she likes understanding why humans are so crazy. Her Science Bowl specialty is physics, since predicting the end of the universe is cool too. Elena is an avid artist and enjoys accidentally leaving sketchbooks everywhere she goes. Additionally, Elena loves sitting peacefully outside and exclaiming to everyone in the vicinity how beautiful the sunset is.
Lauren Shen
Lauren Shen is a sophomore at Morgantown High School. She enjoys studying math, chemistry, music, and history. She has competed in the American Invitational Mathematics Examination , USA National Chemistry Olympiad , and Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair and was recently named the State Math Field Day champion. In her free time, Lauren practices the violin, listens to music, plays video games with her brother, and goes on walks with her dog. She is a member of the school orchestra and the All-State Orchestra and hopes to continue connecting with others through music. Lauren also enjoys reading biographies, historical fiction, and social psychology. She loves working with other students and has formed Students Connect, a group dedicated to engaging students with one another and the community. Lauren is looking forward to exploring her interests more during the next few years of high school.
Douglas Liu
Douglas Liu is a sophomore at Morgantown High School. He is forced to study chemistry because he will get cut from the team if he does not. Douglas’s Science Bowl coach, who is also his chemistry teacher, once threatened to put him into in-school suspension. His legal name is Douglass, but he goes by Douglas. This is a problem because every relevant institution thinks his legal name is Douglas. He doesn't know what to do when applying to colleges.
Celina Liang
Celina Liang is a senior at Morgantown High School. She loves to compete in Science Bowl, Quiz Bowl, and History Bowl teams, play the violin, study biology, and have fun. Since she has a problem meeting deadlines, her coach had to write this biography for her.
Liza Wan
Liza Wan is a senior at Morgantown High School. She likes playing guitar, ping pong, and being outdoors. She also likes to listen to rock music in her free time. Though, rock n’ roll is not the only type of “rock” she likes. Liza’s favorite rock is called “wacke,” mostly because she thinks it is a funny word to say. She likes to study geology for her school’s Science Bowl team, along with other subjects in the “earth and space science” category. Liza’s favorite subject in school is science (duh!). She will be attending West Virginia University this upcoming fall as a biology major. Liza plans on pursuing a career in the field of dentistry, hoping to “bridge the gap” between rural West Virginians and their access to healthcare.
