The students and teachers from high schools all over Alaska are gearing up for this year’s annual Tsunami Bowl, an ocean science competition in which teams are tested through quick answer buzzer questions and thought-provoking team challenge questions.
In all this year there are 25 teams competing; each team is made up of four or five students. From Juneau, three teams are headed to the event — two from Juneau-Douglas High School and one from Thunder Mountain High School.
The action kicks off at 8 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 8, and runs to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 10. All competition will be held at Seward High School, in Seward.
The winning team of this bowl will compete against 24 other regional champions in the 16th Annual National Ocean Sciences Bowl at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on April 18-21, 2013 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Also included in the weekend events are oral presentations of each team’s research project on the topic of “Estuarine Systems and the Importance of Freshwater in Marine Science.” For those more artistically inclined, a marine-themed art show, with art produced by students from participating schools, will be unveiled the evening of Friday, Feb. 8, and remain on display for the month of February in the lobby of the Alaska SeaLife Center.
The Tsunami Bowl is part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB), which is a program of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership based in Washington, D.C. Through this educational forum, the NOSB strives to encourage and support the next generation of marine scientists, policy makers, teachers, explorers, researchers, technicians, environmental advocates and informed citizens, to be stewards of the ocean. Many past NOSB participants have moved on to pursue college degrees and careers in ocean science. In 2013, approximately 2,000 students from over 300 high schools will participate. For more information, visit www.nosb.org.
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Confirmed High Schools that will Compete in the Tsunami Bowl:
Cordova High School (2 teams)
Dillingham High School (2 teams)
Homer High School (2 teams)
Hutchison High School
Juneau-Douglas High School (2 teams)
Kenny Lake School
Ketchikan High School
Kodiak High School
Kotlik School
Kotzebue High School
Mat-Su Career & Technical High School (3 teams)
Petersburg High School (2 teams)
Scammon Bay School
Seward High School
South Anchorage High School
Thunder Mountain High School
Unaslaska City High School
Wasilla High School
