FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 15 February 2002
Contact: Phyllis Shoemaker, National Ocean Sciences Bowl Alaska Coordinator, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Marine Science, Seward Marine Center, 907-224-5261.

Students to test ocean science smarts in regional competition

Alaska high school students vie for chance at college tuition, national title

SEWARD, Alaska—Teams of students from high schools across the state will gather here February 22–24 for a chance to win college tuition. All they have to do is know a lot about the state's oceans.

Fifty of the state's brightest students from high schools representing urban communities like Anchorage, and rural villages like Kotzebue, will compete in the state's Fifth Annual National Ocean Sciences Bowl Alaska regional competition.

The winning team in the three-day event will represent Alaska in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl to be held in April 26–29, 2002, in Providence, Rhode Island.

The Alaska event includes a fast-paced, tournament-style competition designed to challenge and recognize students' knowledge of marine science terms, topics and issues. Teams also prepare and present a research project during the three-day competition. In this year's competition, teams must evaluate an Alaska wildlife species under human and/or environmental pressure and develop a plan for the species' recovery that considers impacts to local communities.

The team with the most points in these combined events will become the winner of the Alaska Regional NOSB competition. Besides receiving free first-year tuition at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the winning team will join 19 other teams from around the country to compete in the NOSB National Finals. Last year, a team from Juneau-Douglas High School won the Alaska competition and competed in the national finals.

This year's Alaska high school teams come from Eagle River, Seward, Soldotna (three teams), Cordova, Anchorage, Kodiak, Kotzebue and Ninilchik. Teams consist of five high school students and a coach who is typically a math or science teacher.

The Alaska regional competition is sponsored by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, with additional support from the Alaska Sea Grant College Program. Another major sponsor is the Ocean Alaska Science Learning Center, a cooperative effort of Kenai Fjords National Park and the Alaska SeaLife Center.

Websites of interest

National Ocean Sciences Bowl Alaska region

National Ocean Sciences Bowl