STUDENTS TEST THEIR WATER KNOWLEDGE

AT LAKE STURGEON BOWL 2010

Posted: February 9, 2010

For the ninth straight year, Marshfield High School took top honors in the Lake Sturgeon Bowl, an annual tournament that tests the marine and freshwater science knowledge of Wisconsin high schoolers.

Twenty-four teams from around the state participated in this year's event, held February 6 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM).

The Lake Sturgeon Bowl is a regional competition of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership's National Ocean Sciences Bowl. Teams of four to five students compete head-to-head in the event, which features multiple rounds of Jeopardy-style quiz questions and written team-challenge exercises. Students are tested on the physics, chemistry, biology, and geology of the oceans and Great Lakes, as well as on history, navigation, geography, current events, and other related topics.

The competitions aim to raise awareness of the oceans and Great Lakes and to foster an interest in marine and freshwater science careers.

Winners of the twenty-five regional bowls held around the country advance to the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, which this year takes place April 23-25 in St. Petersburg, FL. Along with competing in the national tournament, the regional bowl winners will participate in field excursions in the coastal areas of Florida. The top three to four teams of the national competition also earn a trip to an aquatic research site where they engage in hands-on field and laboratory experiences.

Last year, Marshfield High School won the national competition, earning a trip to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. "The trips help connect textbooks with real science," said Elisa Prebble, a senior with Marshfield High School who also was on last year's winning team.

Students in this year's Lake Sturgeon Bowl competition also connected with real science at a Great Lakes WATER Institute open house held the day before the tournament. Along with meeting scientists and staff, students got a first-hand look at invasive mussels, learned about carbon dynamics and beach health, and visited the WATER Institute's instrument shop, where technicians build specialized research equipment. They also met a team of sled dogs like those used to cross frozen waters in the Arctic.

     

Other winners in this year's Lake Sturgeon Bowl were Spring Valley High School (second place), Whitefish Bay High School (third place), and Stevens Point Area High School (fourth place). The Advanced Learning and Academic Studies team won the silver division, which is for teams involved in UWM's Ocean Odyssey Diversity Initiative. Marshfield High School's B team won the bronze division, which is for new or secondary teams.

Begun in 2002, the Lake Sturgeon Bowl was begun in 2002 and is named after the ancient, slow-growing fish that is native to the upper Mississippi River system, the Great Lakes, and the St. Lawrence and Hudson Bay watersheds. Wisconsin is home to the best remaining natural populations of lake sturgeon in North America, with the largest population living in Lake Winnebago.

The Lake Sturgeon Bowl is coordinated by the UWM School of Continuing Education, the WATER Institute, and the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Advisory Services, and is made possible by the support of numerous partners, sponsors, and contributors. More than 100 volunteers, including UWM students, faculty, staff, and community members helped run this year's event.

-Jennifer Yauck