NC School of Science and Mathematics Wins Blue Heron Bowl

The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics came in first place at the 2017 Blue Heron Bowl. Photos courtesy Blue Heron Bowl

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Katie Mosher, North Carolina Sea Grant, 919-515-9069, kmosher@ncsu.edu

The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics came out on top at this year’s Blue Heron Bowl. As first-place finishers, the team will go on to compete at the 2017 National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB), April 20 to 23 at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon.

The competition, a regional qualifying event for the national program, focuses on marine science. This year’s theme was “Blue Energy – Powering the Planet with our Ocean.”

Thirteen teams participated in the Blue Heron Bowl held in February at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

UNCW, along with its Center for Marine Science and Watson College of Education, hosted the event. North Carolina Sea Grant was a co-sponsor and provided prizes for participants.

Student members of the winning team include Raymond Gao, Shiv Patel, Vincent Xia, Kenneth Xu and Emily Zheng. Their coach was teacher Amanda Martyn.

“NOSB has undoubtedly been one of the most influential experiences in my academic journey,” says Kenneth Xu, senior captain of the team. “It’s the whole reason I first got interested in marine and environmental sciences. Now, I plan to major in environmental science and public policy in college.”

Second place in the competition went to Chapel Hill High School. The Dobyns-Bennett High School team out of Kingsport, Tennessee, received the sportsmanship award.

Other participating schools included:

• Ashley High School
• Camden High School
• Cape Fear Academy
• East Chapel Hill High School
• Green Hope High School
• Hoggard High School
• Millbrook High School
• Raleigh Charter High School
• Southside High School
• Walter Williams High School

The NOSB is an academic competition and program that addresses a national gap in environmental and earth sciences in public education. It introduces high-school students to marine sciences, in preparation for science, technology, engineering and math — known as STEM — careers, ultimately helping them become knowledgeable citizens and environmental stewards.

For more information on the regional competition, visit sites.google.com/site/blueheronbowl.

Go to nosb.org for more on the national-level event.

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