SNOW USHERS IN THE 2007 LAKE STURGEON BOWL
By Casey Twanow
MILWAUKEE – The sixth annual Lake Sturgeon Bowl on Feb. 24 was a success, despite weather turning the event into what regional coordinator Fran Luebke called “the snow bowl.” In the tournament, teams from 22 Wisconsin high schools showcased their ocean science knowledge.
Returning champion Marshfield High School won first place, and the honor of competing in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) in April in Stony Brook, New York. The prize for the team, whose five students earned their spots by acing written tests and Jeopardy-style quizzes, includes a multi-day, marine-themed trip after the NOSB competition. The students will visit sites around New London, Groton and Mystic, Connecticut, including the Mystic Aquarium and Seaport, and Project Oceanology, a marine education center.
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Photo: Tom Hansen |
Teams traveled from as far as Spring Valley, WI, near the Minnesota border to take part in the Lake Sturgeon Bowl. Most arrived early afternoon on Friday to tour the Discovery World aquarium and attend an open house and pizza dinner at the Great Lakes WATER Institute (GLWI). At GLWI, students raced ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles) in a large tank, talked with the R/V Neeskay captain about navigation, and learned about diverse research projects from GLWI scientists. In the aquaculture facilities, they got an up close look at lake sturgeon – the ancient fish species the event is named for.
On Saturday, in a round robin tournament followed by play-offs, the teams were quizzed on marine and Great Lakes science, from chemistry and biology, to technology and current events. In each match, points were awarded for two six-minute “toss-up” rounds of multiple choice and short answer questions, and a “team-challenge” portion that let teams work together to solve critical thinking problems. The Sturgeon Bowl was staffed by over 100 volunteers, including UWM students, faculty and staff, and local community and business representatives.
Most teams had been preparing for months before the Sturgeon Bowl. Marquette University High School’s team began meeting for twice weekly practices at the start of the school year. Students from Racine’s R.E.A.L. School said their team preparation included caffeine, textbooks, and practice questions from the NOSB website. Students from Milwaukee’s Inland Seas School also practiced online.
While the students took competition seriously, they were definitely having fun. The team from Wausau’s Newman Catholic brought a stuffed trout as their team mascot, and students from the MPS Professional Learning Institute sported hats decorated with brightly colored fish, dangling lures and green algae, because as one student explained, “It’s nice to lighten up after all of the studying.”
At the end of the day, the Marshfield and Spring Valley teams faced off in the championship. The teams were tied at 14 points after the first toss-up round. After two team-challenge questions – one examining the interactions of sea urchins and algae on Caribbean reefs, one related to proteins involved in metabolism – Marshfield began to pull ahead. The final score was 52 to 29 in Marshfield’s favor.
Second-place Spring Valley was awarded a day trip aboard the Great Lakes WATER Institute’s R/V Neeskay with scientists Russell Cuhel and Carmen Aguilar, and a Zeecraft “Discover” 8-player buzzer system to practice for next year. Third and fourth place, earned by Appleton West and Luxemburg-Casco teams, will receive a day trip on the Neeskay, and an Invasive Species of the Great Lakes Kit for classroom activities.
The Sturgeon Bowl also includes a Silver Division for teams new to the competition, and this year’s Silver Division winner was Janesville Parker High School. The team also won a day trip aboard the Neeskay, and an Invasive Species of the Great Lakes Kit.
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The Lake Sturgeon Bowl is made possible by funding from the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE), Brunswick Public Foundation, CDM, Dorothy Inbusch Foundation, Wisconsin Energy Corporation Foundation, and UW Sea Grant Institute. Partners supporting the event also include the Great Lakes WATER Institute, the UWM School of Continuing Education, and the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Milwaukee Public Television, a sponsor, will produce an Outdoor Wisconsin segment featuring the event. This year’s Sturgeon Bowl involved over 100 volunteers, including UWM students, faculty and staff, and local community and business representatives.
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