What is a typical rate of upwelling in eastern boundary current regions in meters per day?
That’s just an example of the types of questions high school teams had to answer at this year’s National Ocean Sciences Bowl held at the Crystal Coast.
By the way, the answer is 8 meters per day. The competition tests students’ understanding of ocean related topics as they relate to biology, chemistry, physics and geology. To win takes more than just knowing facts.
“You have to really understand how the different things work together, not just I know how deep the ocean is.”
Riley Nelson is a freshman from Walter Williams High School in Burlington, North Carolina. Her team of five was among 125 competitors from schools across the nation. Nelson says they beat out 12 North Carolina high school teams in the Blue Heron Bowl Regional Competition in Morehead City back in February to earn a spot in the 2016 finals.
“Our team wasn’t even supposed to be here. We were the B team for our school, so that means we were like the JV team. And we went up against our varsity team actually at regionals and we ended up beating them. As we kept on going, we’ll probably place like 2nd or 3rd, and then we got 1st and we were like, ‘wow, we’re going to nationals.’”
In addition to being the underdog coming into this year’s bowl, Nelson says everyone in her five member team are first time competitors.
The National Ocean Sciences Bowl is an annual event presented by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, a non-profit, non-partisan organization representing the ocean science community. President and CEO Jon White says the competition is in its 19th year.
“This is actually started by a Navy admiral, Admiral Jim Watkins, he also started the National Science Bowl when he was Secretary of Energy. So 19 years ago, we started this and envisioned to really bring ocean science to the forefront of our educational system.”
When it came to finding a venue for this year’s National Ocean Sciences Bowl, White says it made sense to hold it in Morehead City.
“We have so many ocean and marine science institutions right here in coastal North Carolina, and we were able to find a site here at Carteret Community College where they all have representation in one means or another. So it’s sort of a center of gravity of ocean sciences.”
This year’s event included 24 teams from high schools along the East Coast, Texas, California, Washington state, Oregon and as far away as Alaska. The National Ocean Sciences Bowl is just as much about providing learning experiences as it is about competition. Students took part in several hands-on science activities Thursday and Friday, including a shark tagging trip aboard the research vessel Capricorn and a coastal marsh cleanup at Fort Macon State Park. Head Coach of the Walter Williams High School team from Burlington Erica Bower says they had the opportunity to take part in a necropsy of a dolphin that washed ashore near Ocracoke.
“We moved the dolphin from the truck, we got it washed off, we did the measuring, kind of the initial stuff, we didn’t actually start the dissection part. But they got to see them take an eyeball out, to see fluid levels and stuff. The kids got an opportunity to do something that they would never really do unless they were here.”
Students also toured Duke Marine Lab, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s Institute of Marine Sciences and the Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.
During the weekend, the Finals competition took place. Students had to work as a team to solve critical-thinking challenge questions and participate in a mock briefing to Congress where they present scientific recommendations on a piece of legislation. Consortium for Ocean Leadership CEO Jon White says this gives students an opportunity to learn firsthand how science informs policy.
“Part of my job, I have to go and talk to Congress. But I tell you, some of the ones I do are easier than the ones these kids had to do in these mock setups.”
The top sixteen teams moved on to a double elimination competition. The fast paced, buzzer style rounds are similar to the TV show Jeopardy, but with multiple choice questions.
On Sunday afternoon, the final round of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl was staged at Joslyn Hall at Carteret Community College. The room was packed with nearly 200 competitors, coaches, and audience members anxiously watching the battle between Albany High School from California and Marshfield High from Wisconsin. Four students from each team sit at a table on opposite sides of the stage with a timekeeper, moderator and a judge in the middle. The round starts with six minutes on the clock and a list of toss up questions.
"In which body tissue of a host coral do zooxanthellae reside? W: Gastrodermis, X. Epidermis, Y. Neurons... A3. W. W is correct. Your bonus is short answer."
Time runs out and Albany is in the lead with 18 points. Marshfield is not far behind with 16 points.
After a brief intermission, both teams have five minutes to complete a worksheet with a half a dozen critical thinking questions. The audience is quiet as the students’ whisper to each other on stage and frantically work together scribbling down answers.
Time eventually runs out, the worksheets are collected and then taken to the “science room” down the hallway from the auditorium to be scored. About ten minutes later, the results are in. Albany still has the lead with 57 points, Marshfield 56.
It’s a neck-in-neck sprint to the finish line coming into the last portion of the competition. 6:00 is put on the clock and the last buzzer style game gets underway.
"E1. X? X is correct. Your bonus is short answer. What is the name of the body of water between Malaysia and Sumatra through which over one quarter of the world's traded goods are shipped? Straits of Malacca. That is correct. Toss up to both teams."
As time ticks away, the tension in the room is palpable. Audience members lean forward in their seats as questions and answers fly by. Then, with only about 90 seconds left, there’s a malfunction with the timer and score display. The teams on stage look around the room nervously as the judges work to get back on track.
“It appears that the official and unofficial scores have diverged. The score is Marshfield has 70 and Albany has 77.”
The clock begins again, and runs out.
"E captian. Y. Y is also incorrect. It was... (applause)"
The final score – Marshfield 66 and Albany 87. Team captain and Junior at Albany High Andrew Liu.
“It feels amazing, we really didn’t expect it to happen. We prepared as hard as we could and hoped for the best.”
I caught up with the team afterward and asked seniors Madeline Zhang and Andrey Krutchenko how they will be celebrating their victory.
“Hopefully food in some local restaurants, we miss California. Sleeping 24 hours straight.”
Team captain Andrew Liu comments he won’t have much time to celebrate as he’ll be spending the plane ride home studying.
“I have five AP test next week and four tests on the schedule. Hopefully, I will be awake for school tomorrow.”
The Albany team wins a five day trip in July to Monaco to learn about ocean related sustainability issues facing the Mediterranean region. They’ll also meet Prince Albert II and tour his palace.
Every student at the competition leaves with an award, from plagues to textbooks and tablets. The National Ocean Sciences Bowl also seeks to inspire the next generation of scientists and conservationist. Albany high senior Janice Shiu.
“I’m hoping to do earth atmosphere and planetary sciences in the future. And really, NOSB has inspired me to go that direction.”
"Up next, Walter Williams High School (applause)"
As for the team from North Carolina, they placed 18th out of 24 teams. Freshman Riley Nelson, who wants to major in environmental engineering, says the competition was an “awesome” experience.
“At the beginning, it was kind of scary, but I just kept on going because it got a little bit easier, cause you kind of get in the swing of things and you get used to being up there.”
Next year’s National Ocean Sciences Bowl will take place in Oregon sometime in April. To see pictures from this year’s event, go to our website, publicradioeast.org.
