High school students from across Wisconsin to compete Saturday in Lake Sturgeon Bowl at UW-Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE _ Fifteen high school teams will compete Saturday, Feb. 6, in the Lake Sturgeon Bowl, an annual, regional ocean and water science competition hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences.

The teams will be tested with quick-answer, buzzer questions and thought-provoking team challenge questions. The day begins with a welcome at 8 a.m., and competition starting at 9 a.m. The championship round begins at 4:20 p.m., with awards at 5 p.m. The competition will be held at UWM’s School of Continuing Education, 161 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee.

The theme of the 2016 National Ocean Sciences Bowl and its local competitions is “Our Changing Ocean: Science for Strong Coastal Communities.” Growing populations, erosion, more frequent flooding, development, storms and pollution are among the stressors that impact our nation’s coasts, including on the Great Lakes. Coastal communities, including those in the Midwest, must adapt and plan to preserve their way of life and the natural resources they value. The competition aims to impart that knowledge to students and motivate them in high school academics, college, and careers in STEM and water science fields.

“It provides a means for one of the best learning environments, experiencing new things, and giving me a reason to go above and beyond in related academic courses at school,” said Esther Gland, a former student competitor on the 2014 champion Spring Valley team.

This year’s winning team will compete against 24 other regional champions in the 19th Annual National Ocean Sciences Bowl hosted by the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences, Carteret Community College, and Seahorse Coastal Consulting on April 21-24, 2016, in Morehead City, North Carolina.

The teams competing Saturday include:

  • Appleton West High School—Appleton, WI
  • Greendale High School—Greendale, WI
  • Joseph A. Craig High School—Janesville, WI
  • Luxemburg-Casco High School—Luxemburg and Casco, WI
  • Lynde and Harry Bradley Technology and Trade School (Two Teams)—Milwaukee
  • Marshfield High School—Marshfield, WI
  • Nathan Hale High School—West Allis, WI
  • New School for Community Service—Milwaukee
  • Newman Catholic High School—Wausau, WI
  • Random Lake High School—Random Lake, WI
  • Regis High School—Eau Claire, WI
  • Shorewood High School—Shorewood, WI
  • Stevens Point Area Senior High School—Stevens Point, WI
  • Spring Valley High School—Spring Valley, WI

Each team includes four to five students. Nationally, approximately 2,000 students from more than 300 high schools will participate in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB), which is a program of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C.

Through this educational forum, the NOSB and UWM School of Freshwater Sciences encourage and support the next generation of marine and freshwater scientists, policy makers, teachers, explorers, researchers, technicians, environmental advocates and informed citizens, to be stewards of our water resources.  Most high school students do not have the opportunity to study ocean and freshwater science as part of their formal coursework, which makes Lake Sturgeon Bowl and the NOSB one of the only ways students gain exposure to this field. Past Lake Sturgeon Bowl participants have moved on to pursue college degrees and careers in STEM fields, helping to solve the growing environmental, economic and security issues facing our ocean, freshwater systems and planet.

The 2016 national NOSB program is made possible by the following sponsors:

  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Wendy & Eric Schmidt
  • Deerbrook Charitable Trust
  • IEEE Ocean Engineering Society
  • Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • The Curtis & Edith Munson Foundation
  • Wells Fargo
  • Leave Only Bubbles
  • North Carolina Sea Grant

Partners:

  • Consortium for Oceanographic Leadership
  • University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
  • UWM School of Continuing Education
  • UWM School of Freshwater Sciences

Our 2016 Local Sponsors of the Lake Sturgeon Bowl:

  • Presenting Sponsor: Pentair
  • Brookby Family Foundation
  • Brunswick Public Foundation
  • Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin
  • Fisher Scientific
  • NASCO Fort Atkinson
  • Wisconsin Energy Foundation

Contributors:

    • Leave Only Bubbles
    • Piranha Promotions – Milwaukee
    • UWM Bookstore

For more information, visit freshwater.uwm.edu and www.nosb.org.

About UWM

As Wisconsin’s only public urban research university, UW-Milwaukee has established an international reputation for excellence in research, community engagement, teaching and entrepreneurism. On a budget of $667 million, UW-Milwaukee educates more than 27,000 students and is an engine for innovation in southeastern Wisconsin. Its economic impact is more than $1.5 billion per year in Wisconsin alone. The Princeton Review named UWM a “2016 Best Midwestern” university based on overall academic excellence and student reviews.

About the School of Freshwater Sciences
 
The School of Freshwater Sciences is the only graduate school in North America solely dedicated to freshwater sciences and the largest academic research institution on the Great Lakes. Through cutting-edge research and strong academic programming, the School of Freshwater Sciences provides the talent, tools, and techniques needed to inform government policies, business initiatives, community non-profits, and environmental agencies in efforts to understand, preserve, and protect our freshwater resources.