National Ocean Sciences Bowl

"NOSB" redirects here. For the U.S. standards organization, see National Organic Standards Board.

The National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) is a national, high-school science competition sponsored by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program and managed by the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE) which started in the 1970s. It uses a quiz-bowl format, with lockout buzzers and extended team challenge questions to test students on their knowledge of oceanography. This includes the subjects of biology, chemistry, geology, geography, social science, technology, and physics. The annual competition was started in 1998, the International Year of the Ocean. The current director of NOSB is Kathleen Meehan-Coop, who is based out of Washington, DC and started the role in 2008. Currently there are 25 regions in the U.S. that compete in the NOSB, each with their own regional competitions. The regional competitions are coordinated by the Regional Coordinators, who are typically affiliated with a university in their region. Each year approximately 2,000 students from 300 schools across the nation compete for prizes and a trip to the national competition. The goal of this organization is to increase knowledge of the ocean among high school students and, ultimately, magnify the public understanding of ocean research. Students who participate are eligible to apply for the Coastal and Ocean Science Training (COAST) Internship Program and The National Ocean Scholar Program.

Results of the National Competition

Top-Placing Teams at the 2011 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:

1. Marshfield High School
2. Lexington High School
3. Santa Monica High School
4. Mt. Sinai High School
5. Contoocook Valley Regional High School
6. Mission San Jose High School
7. State College High School
8. North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

Top-Placing Teams at the 2010 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:

1. Marshfield High School
2. Marine Academy of Science and Technology (Sandy Hook, New Jersey)
3. Mission San Jose High School
4. La Jolla High School
5. Punahou School
6. Neah-Kah-Nie High School
7. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
8. Arcadia High School
9. Mount Sinai High School

Langham Creek High School won the sportsmanship award.

Top-Placing Teams at the 2009 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:

1. Marshfield High School
2. Lexington High School
3. Cranston High School West
4. Mission San Jose High School
5. Raleigh Charter High School

Top-Placing Teams at the 2008 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:

1. Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (Sudbury, Massachusetts)
2. Mission San Jose High School (Fremont, California)
3. Santa Monica High School (Santa Monica, CA)
4. Dexter High School (Dexter, MI)
5. La Jolla High School (La Jolla, California)

Kealakehe High School won the sportsmanship award.

Top-Placing Teams at the 2007 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:

1. Contoocook Valley Regional High School (Peterborough, New Hampshire)
2. Cranston High School West (Cranston, Rhode Island)
3. Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (Sudbury, Massachusetts)
4. Santa Monica High School (Santa Monica, CA)
5. Smoky Hill High School (Aurora, CO)
6. Churchville-Chili High School (Churchville, New York)
7. Dexter High School (Dexter, MI)
8. Durant High School (Plant City, FL)

Poplarville High School won the sportsmanship award.

Top-Placing Teams at the 2006 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:

1. Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (Sudbury, Massachusetts)
2. Poudre High School (Fort Collins, CO)
3. Santa Monica High School (Santa Monica, CA)
4. Albany High School (Albany, CA)
5. MAST Academy (Miami, FL)
6. Oconee County High School (Oconee County, Georgia)
7. Langham Creek High School (Langham Creek, TX)
8. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Arlington, VA)

Top-Placing Teams at the 2005 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:

1. Cranston High School West (Cranston, Rhode Island)
2. Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (Sudbury, Massachusetts)
3. Mission San Jose High School (Fremont, California)
4. Oconee County High School (Oconee County, Georgia)
5. La Jolla High School (La Jolla, California)
6. Maui High School (Maui County, Hawaii)
7. Santa Monica High School (Santa Monica, California)
8. Incarnate Word Academy (Corpus Christi, Texas)

Past National Ocean Sciences Bowl Winners:

• 2004 - Mission San Jose High School (Fremont, California)
• 2003 - Cranston High School West (Cranston, Rhode Island)
• 2002 - Lexington High School, (Lexington, MA)
• 2001 - Lexington High School, (Lexington, MA)
• 2000 - Lexington High School, (Lexington, MA)
• 1999 - Lexington High School, (Lexington, MA)
• 1998 - Lexington High School, (Lexington, MA)

Prizes

Although the prizes for placing at the national competition have varied slightly from year to year, the following were the prizes awarded at the 2005 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:

• 1st Place Prize - Trip to Hawaii (Sponsored by the Hilton Waikoloa Village)
• 2nd Place Prize - Trip to Bermuda (Sponsored by the Bermuda Biological Station for Research)
• 3rd Place Prize - Trip to Catalina Island (Sponsored by USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies)
• 4th Place Prize - Trip to the Great Lakes (Sponsored by the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory) (In 2007 this was a trip to the Florida keys.)
• 5th-8th Place Prizes - Gift certificates for scientific equipment and marine science textbooks (Sponsored by IEEE/OES)

Format and Scoring

Types of Questions

• Toss-up: These are multiple choice question that can be answered by either team in play. The team that buzzes in first gets to answer the question. A correct answer wins the team four points and the right to attempt a bonus question. No conferring is allowed on toss-ups. If a player buzzes in before a moderator finishes reading the question, the buzz is called an interrupt. An incorrect answer will cause the team to lose four points and the question to be re-read to the opposing team. This is the only situation in which a team can lose points. (Note that no points are lost for incorrect answers that are NOT interrupts.) If a player begins an answer before being verbally recognized by the moderator, this is called a blurt. The answer is ignored (not indicated correct or incorrect by the moderator) and the question is re-read to the opposing team. There is no point penalty for a blurt, but the team that blurted is disqualified from answering that question.
• Bonus: Correctly answering a toss-up rewards the team with a follow-up question. Teams have 20 seconds to confer and answer this question. The team captain must begin the team's answer before time is called. A correct response is awarded with an additional six points.
• Team Challenge Question: Each Team Challenge Question is an essay type question worth up to 20 points, and partial credit is awarded. Time ranges from 90 seconds to 5 minutes for a challenge question, and the topics can be anything related to oceanography.

A single NOSB match consists of two 6-minute buzzer rounds with two Team Challenge Questions in between. Each buzzer round is made up of up to 8 question pairs (for 16 question pairs per match), each containing a toss-up question and a bonus question. The full 8 question pairs may not be fully read in each half if the allotted 6 minutes has elapsed.

Roles of Officials

• Moderator: Reads questions and interprets responses by comparing with the answer sheet.
• Science Judge: If the official answer is challenged by a team, the moderator may consult the Science Judge to come to a verdict.
• Rules Judge: Oversees activity in the event room and addresses any issues or misbehavior.
• Scorekeeper: Records the current score of a progressing match, including rewards and penalties. Generally a copy is saved for later reference.
• Timekeeper: Tracks the time throughout the round. In charge of stopping, starting, and resetting the clock. Also notifies teams of time benchmarks (such as 5 seconds left to answer a bonus or 90 seconds left to answer a Team Challenge Question).
• Runner: Primarily used for retrieving documents, such as the official testing material. Also brings Team Challenge Questions to and from the grading center for official scoring.

Locations

The National competition is held in one of the participating colleges that hold the regionals. These colleges draw from high schools in their area and run the regional competitions, often naming the regional according to the characteristics of the region. For example, the region encompassing Colorado and the surrounding area is called the "Mountain Mariner Challenge."

Nationals

• 2011- Galveston, Texas
• 2010- St. Petersburg, Florida
• 2009- Washington, DC
• 2008- Seward, Alaska
• 2007- Long Island, New York
• 2006- Pacific Grove, California
• 2005- Biloxi, Mississippi
• 2004- Charleston, South Carolina
• 2003- LaJolla, California
• 2002- Providence, Rhode Island
• 2001- Miami, Florida
• 2000- Linthicum, Maryland
• 1999- Washington, DC
• 1998- Washington, DC

Regionals

• Aloha Bowl (University of Hawaii-Manoa)
• Bay Scallop Bowl (Stony Brook University)
• Blue Crab Bowl (College of William and Mary)
• Blue Heron Bowl (University of North Carolina)
• Blue Lobster Bowl (MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute)
• Chesapeake Bay Bowl (American University)
• Dolphin Challenge (Texas A&M University)
• Great Lakes Bowl (University of Michigan)
• Hurricane Bowl (University of Southern Mississippi)
• La Jolla Surf Bowl (Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
• Lake Sturgeon Bowl (University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee)
• Loggerhead Challenge (Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi)
• Los Angeles Surf Bowl (University of Southern California)
• Manatee Bowl (University of Miami)
• Trout Bowl (University of Colorado) (formerly Mountain Mariner Challenge)
• Nor'easter Bowl (University of New England, University of New Hampshire, and University of Maine)
• Orca Bowl (University of Washington)
• Penguin Bowl (Youngstown State University)
• Quahog Bowl (University of Rhode Island)
• Salmon Bowl (Oregon State University)
• Sea Lion Bowl (San Francisco State University) (formerly Otter Bowl)
• Shore Bowl (Rutgers University)
• Southern Stingray Bowl (Savannah State University)
• Spoonbill Bowl (University of Southern Florida)
• Tsunami Bowl (University of Alaska Fairbanks)

"Living on the Ocean Planet" Video Contest

Starting in 2009, NOSB has held a video contest. Submissions were judged on multiple criteria, with a maximum length of two minutes. The theme of the contest changes each year along with the National competition themes. Past winners are as follows:

• 2011 - Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

Theme - Human Responses to Ocean Events

Title - Making Every Difference^[1]

Members - Daniel Seidman, Jenny Seo and Jung Huh

Coach - Lisa Wu

• 2010 - Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

Theme - Technology

Title - Ocean Exploration: The Future^[2]

Members - Will Welch and Gwyn Welch

Coach - Patricia Cloutier

• 2009 - Lexington High School

Theme - Biodiversity

Title - Our Oceans, Our World^[3]

Members - Eric Kao and Jorie Heilman

Coach - Sarah Damassa

See also

• Science Bowl

External links

• Official NOSB website
• Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE)

References

1. ^ "Making Every Difference". Making Every Difference. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKu26wxSwwo. 
2. ^ "Ocean Exploration: The Future". Ocean Exploration: The Future. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5YIenmySVw. 
3. ^ "Our Oceans, Our World". Our Oceans, Our World. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp_vOGWJbgE.