Kealakehe High School wins Hawaii Ocean Science Bowl

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Tara Hicks Johnson, (808) 956-3151
School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology
Posted: Feb 15, 2007


This past Saturday, February 10th, high school students from all over the state competed in the fifth annual Hawaii Regional competition for the National Ocean Science Bowl (NOSB), the "Aloha Bowl". Five high school students from Kealakehe High School won the competition, and will represent Hawaii in the National Ocean Science Bowl in Stony Brook, NY April 28-30, 2007. Members of the winning team include (from left to right in picture) Sarah Crawford, Conrad Sanborn, Todd Yamakawa, Riley Saito, Coach Sharon Chern, and Emma Leonard. Maui High School took second place, with a second Kealakehe team coming in third.

This educational program was developed to stimulate interest in the ocean sciences among high school students and demonstrate to the public the importance of the oceans in our daily lives. One of the long-term goals of the program is to foster the next generation of marine scientists, educators and policy makers for the ocean sciences.

During the competition, students were asked three types of questions: toss-up, bonus and team-challenge. Toss-up and bonus questions are in a multiple-choice or short-answer format. The team-challenge question is written out and handed to both teams at the half time of each round. These questions require higher cognitive skills, often use visual aids such as charts, maps, and graphs and the students work together to earn as many points as possible, which may make the difference between winning or losing the round of competition. Question difficulty increases as the competition progresses.

This competition is operated through the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The National Ocean Sciences Bowl is generously supported by U.S. government agencies through the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) as well as by corporations, foundations and other non-governmental organizations.

For more information contact:
Tara Hicks Johnson, SOEST Outreach Specialist, 956-3151, 429-7007 (cell) hickst@hawaii.edu
Information about the bowl can be found at
http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/SOEST_News/News/NOSB/

Coach for Kealakehe High School Team Sharon Chern
Sharon_Chern/KEALAKEH/HIDOE@notes.k12.hi.us
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School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology
http://www.soest.hawaii.edu
The School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) was established by the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii in 1988. SOEST brings together in a single focused ocean, earth sciences and technology group, some of the nation‘s highest quality academic departments, research institutes, federal cooperative programs, and support facilities to meet challenges in the ocean and earth sciences. Scientists at SOEST are supported by both state and federal funds as they endeavor to understand the subtle and complex interrelations of the seas, the atmosphere, and the earth.