Creating a sustainable economic future for the region.
Creating a sustainable economic future for the region.
Thank you for visiting our website and learning more about the decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) progress at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Pike County, Ohio.
SOCCo is comprised of more than 2,000 workers dedicated to the safe environmental cleanup of the Portsmouth site to prepare the land for reindustrialization.
As you click through our website, you will see that a large part of our mission is our commitment to building a strong and sustainable economy in southern Ohio through regional purchasing and economic development grants; supporting the needs of area non-profit organizations; and, the advancement of the region’s next generation through STEM education and worker training.
On behalf of all of us at SOCCo, we hope you enjoy learning more about us and look forward to continually sharing our progress here at the site.
Sincerely,
Greg Wilkett
SOCCo President and CEO
Schools in Pike, Ross, Scioto and Jackson counties can now preregister for this year’s South Central Ohio High School Regional Science Bowl. Coaches either log-in to existing or create new accounts. The only information needed initially is the coach, co-coach, and school information. Coaches will not be asked (or allowed) to enter any information on the team members.
After the team coach agrees to follow the eligibility requirements AND consents to the information in the former “Adult Consent and Media Form”, the coach can submit the school’s PREREGISTRATION.
After the coach submits the school PREREGISTRATION, the Regional Coordinator will approve the PREREGISTRATION if there is space. An approved PREREGISTRATION secures at least one spot for a school. Note: If the coach or co-coach is not a school employee, the school principal must complete the coach approval before PREREGISTRATION can be approved. ONLY after the school’s PREREGISTRATION is approved, can the coach begin building their teams.
Between PREREGISTRATION approval and November 23, 2025, at 11:59 pm local time, the coach must SUBMIT their Team 1 registration. If the coach does not submit the Team 1 registration BEFORE November 24, 2025, the school loses its reserved space. Note: Preregistrations approved after November 23, 2025, are NOT guaranteed a space in the competition.
In order to SUBMIT a team registration, a signed “Parental Consent and Media Release Form” must be submitted for each team member – these forms are to be signed electronically by the parents/guardians. These electronic forms will be available after you enter the students’ information. To repeat: a coach cannot submit a team registration without completed and signed parental forms.
IF an event allows 2nd and 3rd teams, coaches may work on completing the submission process for the 2nd/3rd teams any time after the PREREGISTRATION is approved. However, 2nd and 3rd teams will not be approved before December 8, 2025. There will be no “first come, first served” approvals before January 1, 2026. If there is not enough space for all teams, second or third teams will be selected via a lottery system. Please email the Regional Coordinator for more information.
For assistance in registration, please review the registration guide here.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) Portsmouth Site recently hosted the South Central Ohio High School Regional Science Bowl, where Valley High School reigned as the champion for the second year in a row and third time altogether.
The 2025 South Central Ohio High School Regional Science Bowl back-to-back champions, Valley High School. From left, Portsmouth Site Federal Project Director Jud Lilly, Valley High Coach Justin Howard, Allen Smith, Nathan Cooper, Marcus Franke, Myles DeAtley, Abigail Gullett, JD Chiou (SOCCo Environmental Director), Christy Brown (DOE- Portsmouth D&D FPD/General Engineer).
DOE’s 13th annual regional science competition at Shawnee State University drew 32 teams from 17 schools from Pike, Scioto, and Ross counties.
“The high level of competition this year is a reflection of all the hard work and preparation these students put in for this event,” Portsmouth Site Lead Jeremy Davis said. “Congratulations to Valley High School on their win.”
This year, schools could enter up to three teams in the regional event. Wheelersburg High School came in second place, and Portsmouth and Zane Trace high schools reached the semi-finals.
“Our goal coming in was to repeat last year’s win, and Wheelersburg put up a good fight,” Valley High School Coach Justin Howard said. “This year’s questions were challenging. It’s just exciting to get the win again this year.”
More than 60 volunteers from EM and Portsmouth Site contractors, including SOCCo, Enterprise Technical Assistance Services, and Mid-America Conversion Services, served as moderators, timekeepers, rules judges and runners for the event.
“Every year our volunteers work hard to make sure all students have a fantastic experience,” Portsmouth Site Program Analyst and Federal Coordinator Greg Simonton said. “Many of these volunteers return year after year to support the program, and it is great to see their commitment to promoting educational opportunities in southern Ohio.”
Valley High joined 63 other regional winners from across the country to compete in the 35th annual National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., April 24-28.
DOE created the national competition in 1991 to encourage more students to pursue careers in science and math. Since then, more than 344,000 students have competed in the nation’s largest science competition.
Our mission is to safely decontaminate and decommission the Portsmouth Site while partnering with the community to create a sustainable economic future for the region.