{"id":21942,"date":"2018-04-18T14:26:34","date_gmt":"2018-04-18T18:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/currents\/?p=10306"},"modified":"2024-05-21T15:54:09","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T19:54:09","slug":"diving-into-the-national-ocean-sciences-bowl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/diving-into-the-national-ocean-sciences-bowl\/","title":{"rendered":"Diving Into the National Ocean Sciences Bowl"},"content":{"rendered":"
Above:\u00a0<\/em>The North Carolina School of Science and Math team after receiving their prizes for winning the regional Blue Heron Bowl competition.<\/em><\/p>\n Editor’s Note: North Carolina Sea Grant is proud to be among long-time sponsors of the annual, statewide Blue Heron Bowl. Here, the member of the 2018 winning team share their preparations for the National Ocean Sciences Bowl this weekend in Colorado.<\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s 8:32 p.m. on a Sunday night, and our marine science quiz bowl team is waiting for our fifth member to arrive for practice.<\/p>\n \u201cVincent, you\u2019re late!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I didn\u2019t sleep much last night! I was too busy completing my 204-term marine technology quizlet!\u201d he replies, referring to a prep tool that we use to train for competitions.<\/p>\n Our team represents North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM), the nation\u2019s first public residential high school focusing on science, technology, engineering and math. We\u2019ve gathered together in our favorite library conference room to prepare for the National Ocean Sciences Bowl<\/a> in Boulder, Colorado, April 19 to 22. Each member of our group has a unique passion for marine science.<\/p>\n Michael reads out the first question of the night: Lophelia<\/em> coral reefs in the North Atlantic are being primarily damaged by:<\/p>\n Answer W:<\/strong> Rising temperature<\/p>\n Answer X<\/strong>: Trawling<\/p>\n Answer Y:<\/strong> Cyanide poisoning<\/p>\n Answer Z:<\/strong> Pfiesteria<\/em><\/p>\n Shiv buzzes in. \u201cX.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you buzz after he said trawling?\u201d Vincent asks.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause it\u2019s your category, not mine!\u201d Shiv counters.<\/p>\n This evening\u2019s practice is just one of many we\u2019ve had over the past five months in preparation for the national bowl.<\/p>\n Wondering how we got here? It all started with a series of weekly oceanography seminars that our co-captains \u2014 Shiv Patel, Michael Zhang and Vincent Xia \u2014 led during the first trimester of school in the fall. Each week they explored a new topic in ocean science, ranging from physical oceanography and geology to cutting-edge submersible technology. There even was a lesson on colorful sea slugs!<\/p>\n At the end of the seminar series in November, students were invited to take part in our team tryouts, which entailed a 125-question exam and mock buzzer rounds to simulate the real competition. Based on those results, we selected juniors Vittal Bhat and Kelly Wang to join our team. Together, we studied comprehensively and practiced numerous hours each week.<\/p>\nBy SHIV PATEL, MICHAEL ZHANG, VINCENT XIA, VITTAL BHAT, and KELLY WANG<\/h3>\n