Contact: Adriana Bailey, 303-492-6289
February 21, 2009
Mountain Region Students Vie For Ocean Science Bowl Win
Aurora, Colo. Students Take First
Despite their landlocked geography, high school students from Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and South Dakota showcased their mastery of ocean science Saturday, as they matched off in a fast-paced, quiz-style competition for a spot at the National Ocean Sciences Bowl this April.
Ready with answers to questions like, "For a hurricane to sustain itself, ocean water must be a minimum of approximately what temperature to a depth of nearly 30 meters?", eleven teams battled for top seed in the Mountain Mariner Challenge, the regional ocean sciences bowl hosted by the University of Colorado’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, or CIRES.
After nine rounds of individual buzzer questions and team long-answers, Smoky Hill High School of Aurora claimed the win. The team will travel to Washington, D.C. in April to compete against other regional-qualifying teams in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History’s new Ocean Hall.
Second and third place went to Poudre High School from Fort Collins and Peak-to-Peak Charter School from Lafayette. Boulder High made the double-elimination rounds but did not place.
The National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) is a program of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership based in Washington, D.C. NOSB seeks to energize students to pursue future studies and careers in the ocean sciences. Including regional qualifiers, this year's competition is expected to involve approximately 2,000 students from over 300 high schools. The Mountain Mariner Challenge is the only landlocked regional ocean sciences bowl in the country.
Participating high schools in this year’s Mountain Mariner Challenge were the following:
Boulder High School, Boulder, CO
Cody High School, Cody, WY
Doherty High School, Colorado Springs, CO
Faith Christian Academy, Arvada, CO
Lehi/Pleasant Grove High School, Highland, UT
Loveland High School, Loveland, CO
Peak to Peak Charter School, Lafayette, CO
Poudre High School, Ft. Collins, CO
Rapid City Central High School, Rapid City, SD
Smoky Hill High School, Aurora, CO
Standley Lake High School, Westminster, CO
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