Archive of Spotlight Feature Articles

NOAA Helps Make the Bowl a Ball

by Erica Van Coverden

Many high school students with a keen interest in ocean-related sciences are preparing for this spring's National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB). The NOSB is a game show-style team competition that tests students' knowledge in all areas of marine studies. The NOSB was started four years ago by a Washington D.C.-based organization called the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE).

It takes a lot of people to ensure the smooth running of an event of this size. NOAA scientists, including those from the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, Fla. and the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich., have volunteered as judges and moderators, and for other duties.

"I like doing NOSB because it's a way to contribute to my community, plus I enjoy contact with young people and the opportunity to motivate them," said Dr. David Enfield, an AOML physical oceanographer.

The NOSB was first conducted in the winter and spring of 1998 in honor of the International Year of the Ocean, and the program has drawn larger and larger crowds ever since. The overall goal of the program is to increase knowledge of the oceans on the part of high school students, their teachers and parents, as well as to raise the visibility and public understanding of the national investment in ocean-related research.

Designed for high school students who excel in math and science, topics cover all areas of marine science as well as maritime history, policy, and technology. Teams of five students and a coach compete in a rapid-fire ocean-related science competition to win the regional title. The winner of each regional competition will advance to compete in the National Finals, which will take place on Miami Beach during April 1-3, 2001.

"I never had the opportunity to participate in anything like NOSB in high school, I think it's a great way to get students motivated about science. I definitely would have competed as a student if I had the opportunity," said Eric Uhlhorn, a research meteorologist.

The goal of every student participating is to make it to the finals, but first they have to win their regional competition. This month 19 regional NOSB competitions are taking place all over the United States including Miami, Florida, where AOML is helping the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School with the competition.

For the past three years, AOML scientists have volunteered as part of the judging teams needed to run the competitions.

"This is my second year participating in NOSB," said Shirley Murillo, a research meteorologist at AOML. "What brought me back was seeing how motivated the students are and how seriously they take the competition - they study so much. It's encouraging to see students put so much effort into studying and preparing for the competition."

More than 250 people will be involved in the Florida Regional Competition to recognize the importance and to raise the awareness of ocean science and ocean-related research. Students and professors from the Rosenstiel School as well as AOML scientists volunteer as judges and moderators to run the individual competitions.

" Watching how excited the kids are during the competition – I think NOSB a great way to keep kids interested in ocean science," said Jason Dunion, a research meteorologist.

On February 10, 14 AOML scientists and employees will play their role as moderators, science judges, and rules judges for the Miami regional NOSB. And that's not the only time they have devoted to this effort. For five weeks prior to the competition these volunteers have been meeting once a week to review the game rules and competition questions and simply have a blast simulating the actual competition.

"It's just plain fun," said Dr. Gustavo Goni, a physical oceanographer. "This type of competition encourages students to get more involved in the study of the environment, and being a judge helps me to support their effort. These kids are really bright, and it is fun and very entertaining to see them compete to show their knowledge of ocean sciences."

The NOSB Florida Regional Competition will be held Feb.10-11, 2001 on Virginia Key, Florida. Its national sponsors are the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Science Foundation (NFS), Oceanographer of the Navy, the Office of Naval Research, the US Geological Survey and several private sponsors.

The competition will be held at MAST Academy on Feb. 10 from 8:30am-2:30pm. There will also be a Career/Media Fair from 3:00pm-5:00pm also at MAST Academy. The Final Rounds will be held at MAST Academy (or RSMAS) Auditorium on Feb. 11 from 9:00am-12:00pm. The competition is open to the public on both days.

The Florida Regional Competition is sponsored by the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, the Florida Sea Grant Program, and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. For more information, please contact Atty Tantivit, NOSB Florida Regional Coordinator, at phone: (305) 361-4853, fax: (305) 361-4711, or E-mail: atantivit@rsmas.miami.edu.

[1/29/01]

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