Washington : Akhil Rekulapelli, a 13-year-old Indian-American student, has won the prestigious National Geographic Bee contest that carries a $50,000 college scholarship, outclassing nine others including four Indian-origin contestants, reports PTI.
Akhil, of Virginia, beat out second-place winner Ameya Mujumdar, an 11-year-old fifth grader from Florida who received $25,000 college scholarship, in the final round on Wednesday held at National Geographic headquarters here. Akhil, who hopes to work for Doctors Without Borders, answered all three questions correctly in a one-on-one showdown with Ameya. The winning question that helped the eight-grader clinch the title was: The discovery of a major shale oil deposit in the Vaca Muerta formation in 2010 has led to an expansion of oil drilling in the Neuquén province in what country? Answer: Argentina.
