Landlubbers Shine at National Ocean Sciences Bowl

A team of high school students from the heartland of Wisconsin were among the finalists at the National Ocean Sciences Bowl in Providence, R.I., last month.

The five students from Marshfield High School in Marshfield, Wis., answered dozens of questions correctly over two grueling days to place eighth out of 22 teams at the national competition.

It was the first time a Wisconsin team made it to the finals. In fact, this was the first year Wisconsin hosted its own regional meet leading up to the national contest.

The regional event, called the Lake Sturgeon Bowl, was launched in February on the UW-Milwaukee campus, drawing ten teams from eight schools across the state. The winning team from Marshfield won a sail on a Great Lakes schooner and an all-expenses trip to the finals.

James Lubner, Wisconsin Sea Grant education specialist, accompanied the students on their excursion to Rhode Island.

“These kids have a genuine, solid interest in all kinds of science,” he said. “These are the scientists of tomorrow—the people who will pick up where we leave off.”

For their achievement, the team took home a trophy, a shelf-full of oceanography text books and $500 worth of equipment for their school.

Now in its fifth year, the National Ocean Sciences Bowl provides a forum for students who excel in math and science to receive national recognition for their talent while broadening their understanding of the oceans and Great Lakes.

The program is conducted by the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education. The regional event was hosted by the UW-Milwaukee Great Lakes WATER Institute and the UW Sea Grant Institute. The bowl is made possible in Wisconsin by a grant from the Brunswick Public Foundation.

Last updated 20 December 2002 by Karl
All contents copyright 2001 University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute

http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/Communications/news/LD_stories/2002/Oceanbowl.html