Local High Schools Compete in Ocean Science
Competition at Scripps Institution of Oceanography
By Cindy Clark | February 21, 2006
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| Students study for the National Ocean Sciences Bowl at Scripps. |
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On Saturday, Feb. 25, 12 teams from local high schools will convene at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla for Surf Bowl 2006, the one-day regional ocean science competition for the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB). The day will conclude with an awards ceremony at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps. The winning team will advance to the NOSB national finals in Monterey, Calif.
NOSB is an educational program developed to stimulate high school students' interest in ocean sciences and broaden public understanding of the value of ocean research. This competition also provides students who have an interest in math and science the opportunity to receive national recognition for their academic excellence. NOSB aims to foster the next generation of marine scientists, educators and policy makers. "The National Ocean Science Bowl provides a great venue for high school students to come together and work as a team to learn marine science," said Charina Cain Layman, regional coordinator for Surf Bowl. "After a few hours of practice scrimmages you can really feel the excitement and enthusiasm for the competition, but it is more than just a competition. In preparation for the big day, teams participate in floating labs, whale watching trips, tours of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, scrimmages and tide- pooling trips. This gives the students the opportunity to get to know each other and discover the cool, fun side of science and science careers."
The 12 teams will compete in a round-robin, double-elimination format, answering marine science questions prepared by top national researchers and educators. Students will be tested on their marine science knowledge with rapid-fire questions in biology, chemistry, geography, geology, navigation, physics and related history and literature. The schools participating in Surf Bowl 2006 include Palomar High School, John Muir High School, Carlsbad High School, Dana Hills High School (Dana Point), Montgomery High School, Christian High School, La Jolla High School, Buckeye Union High School (Arizona), Scripps Ranch High School, Francis Parker High School, Mar Vista High School and San Clemente High School.
Students will be asked three types of questions during the regional competition: toss-up, bonus and team challenge. The toss-up and bonus questions are multiple choice or short answer questions, and the team challenge questions will give the students the opportunity to test their critical thinking skills to analyze real-time data and answer questions involving cutting-edge research and policy issues. Approximately 2,000 high school students and educators from an estimated 380 high schools will compete in regional competitions throughout February and March. Scripps, one of 25 regional sites around the country, is hosting the NOSB competition for the eighth consecutive year. Ranked as the number one oceanographic institution in the country, Scripps and the Birch Aquarium have provided training and academic support for all teams competing in Surf Bowl in an effort to provide a challenging and enthusiastic competition.
In the months leading up to the event, participating students visited several Scripps oceanographic research laboratories, attended lectures by Scripps scientists and toured behind-the-scenes at the Birch Aquarium. Scripps graduate students, alumni and staff will participate as judges, timekeepers and science advisors for the competition.
The winning team at Surf Bowl 2006 will represent the southern California region in the NOSB 2006 finals in Monterey, Calif., in April. There the top team from each of the 25 regions will compete for the national title and a variety of exciting and educational prizes. The regional sponsors for Surf Bowl 2006 include the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Aquarium of the Pacific, Acorn Naturalists, California Sea Grant, County of San Diego, Elsevier, Hood College, Karl Strauss Brewing Company, Keep California Beautiful, National Marine Educators Association, National Wildlife Federation, Ocean Institute, Radisson Hotel La Jolla, Resort Watersports, Sea Technology, SeaWorld San Diego, Sports Chalet, Starbucks Coffee Company, United States Geological Survey (USGS), Wahoo's Fish Tacos and Wyland Foundation.
NOSB is organized by the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE). CORE is the Washington, D.C.-based association of U.S. oceanographic research institutions, universities, laboratories and aquaria. Its mission is to promote, encourage, develop and support efforts to advance knowledge and learning in the science of oceanography and to disseminate such knowledge to the scientific community and to the public. The National Ocean Sciences Bowl is funded through the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP), a collaboration of 15 federal agencies.
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