“Expanding participation in the NOSB is essential since it plays a critical role in
cultivating future leaders in ocean science, management, and education – leaders
responsible for ensuring these resources and the benefits they provide will be
available for generations to come.”
-Admiral James D. Watkins (Ret)
Founder, National Ocean Sciences Bowl
NOSB Finals Training
Program Overview
NOSB: Objectives & Impacts
NOSB was initiated in 1998 to:
• Support International Year of the Ocean and promote ocean literacy
• Stimulate student interest in the ocean sciences
• Give students opportunities to examine marine science as a field of
study and possible career path
• Help educators use the oceans as an interdisciplinary vehicle for
teaching biology, chemistry, geology, physics, and mathematics
Program Structure
Consortium for Ocean Leadership
• NOSB National Office
Regional Hosts
• Regional Coordinator
Teacher/Coach
• ~350/yr
Students
• ~2,000/yr
25 NOSB Regional Sites
AK – Seward
CA – La Jolla
CA – Los Angeles
CA – San Francisco
CO – Boulder
CT - Groton
DC – Washington
FL – Ft. Pierce or Miami
FL – St. Petersburg
HI – Honolulu
MA – Boston
ME/NH – Biddeford or
Orono/Durham
MI – Ann Arbor
MS – Biloxi
NC – East Caroline,
Chapel Hill, Raleigh,
or Wilmington
NJ – New Brunswick
NY – Stony Brook
OH/PA – Youngstown/Pittsburgh
OR – Corvallis
SC/GA – Columbia
TX – College Station
TX – Corpus Christi
VA – Norfolk or Gloucester Point
WA – Seattle
WI – Milwaukee
NOSB Finals
2010: St Petersburg, FL
2009: Washington, DC
2011:
Galveston, TX
NOSB Finals Training
Competition Overview
Team Format
• Teams consist of 4 competitors, 1
alternate, and a coach.
• Teams are placed into divisions
for a round robin competition.
• Top teams in each division
advance to a double elimination
round.
Question Format
Three Types of Questions:
• Toss Up (multiple choice)
• Bonus (usually short answer)
• Team Challenge Questions (TCQs)
Competition Format
• Competition is made up of rounds
• One round consists of a:
– 6 minute buzzer half
– 2 team challenge questions
– 6 minute buzzer half
NOSB Finals Training
Volunteer Roles
Competition Officials
Officials Teams include:
• Moderator
• Science Judge
• Rules Judge
• Scorekeeper
• Timekeeper
• Room Runner
Event Staff
Ocean Bowl Central:
- Handing out questions
General/Logistics:
- Assisting with registration
- Building chiefs/assistants
Moderator
• Reads the questions to the teams.
• Verbally recognizes the team member
before they respond.
• Announces whether answer is correct or
incorrect.
• Must be very familiar with the rules
and the flow of the game.
Science Judge
• Makes rulings on the
acceptability of answers
• Controls the buzzer system
• Responds to challenges made by
students
• Passes out, collects, and explains
answers to the TCQs
Rules Judge
• Ensures all officials are performing
their roles correctly
• Keeps close eye on scoring
• Watches the audience for signaling
• Responsible for room set up and
breakdown
Scorekeeper
Maintains a tally of points for both teams
• Toss up questions = 4 pts
• Bonus questions = 6 pts
• Team Challenge Questions = 20 pts
Timekeeper
Keeps track of 2 clocks:
• Game clock for buzzer halves (6
minutes) and TCQs (2-5 minutes)
• Stopwatch for buzzing in (5 seconds)
and answering questions (3 seconds). For
bonus questions: 20 seconds to answer.
Room Runner
•
Runs TCQs to the Judges’ Appeals
room to be graded.
•
Picks up new questions from Ocean
Bowl Central between rounds.
•
Answers room needs.
Types of Responses from Students
Once a question is read by the moderator, the students can respond in
three ways, they can either:
• Wait to be recognized by the moderator before answering
• Interrupt the reading of the question, be recognized, then answer.
• Blurt out the answer before being recognized.
Scoring Matrix for Toss Ups
CORRECT
INCORRECT
RECOGNIZED
+4 pts
0 pts
INTERRUPT
+4 pts
-4 pts
0 pts
0 pts
BLURT
NOSB Finals Training
Rules for When Time Runs Out
Rules for When Time Runs Out
Attention Rules Judges!!! Ask yourselves:
1. Was the question in play when time ran out?
2. Was the question interrupted when time ran out (more likely
scenario) or was the question read in its entirety?
NOSB Finals Training
Rules Regarding Challenges
Types of Challenges
1. Challenges to the enforcement of
the competition rules
2. Challenges to the scientific answer
*Challenges must be made before the
moderator begins the next question*
Example of a Rules Challenge
Moderator asks a toss up question  Team A’s captain buzzes in 
Moderator recognizes the captain  Captain looks at team member
& confers before answering  Captain then answers
Possible Outcomes:
1. Moderator does not accept Team A’s answer because there was
conferring and question goes to other team.
2. Moderator says “that is correct” accepting Team A’s answer and is
about to move on to the bonus question when Team B challenges.
If Team B’s challenge is accepted,
what should the moderator do next?
If Team B’s challenge is accepted,
what should the moderator do next?
ANSWER: Go to the next question pair and
read that question to Team B.
--When the moderator inadvertently gives out
an answer, he or she needs to skip to the next
pair of questions in the round. --
Review of Rules #22 and #23
• With multiple choice questions the answer may be the letter (W, X Y,
Z), the scientific answer, or both (Rule 22).
• With the exception of articles, the answers to a multiple choice/toss-up
question must be exactly as those on the written page (Rule 23).
•Prefacing an answer with “May answer is…” is NOT acceptable.
*Short answer/bonus questions must have the same meaning, but do not
need to match exactly what is on the written page*
Review of Rules #19 and #20
The answer is written on the
page as: W. Sea urchin
Examples of Acceptable
Answers:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
W.
Sea urchin
a sea urchin
W. Sea urchin
W. a sea urchin
Examples of Unacceptable
Answers:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
X.
Urchin
an urchin
X. sea urchin
X. an urchin
Example of a Science Challenge
Toss-up Question: To what order do whales, dolphins, and
porpoises belong?
Answer W:
Mammalia
Answer X:
Cetacean
Answer Y:
Chordata
Answer Z:
Reptilia
Correct Answer: X
Example of a Science Challenge
Possible Outcomes:
1. Reject the challenge and proceed to the bonus
question for Team B.
2. Decide question is poorly worded in that both
answers are correct. Throw the question out and
proceed to the next toss-up question.
When in Doubt…
• Stop the clock
• Discuss with other competition officials
• Be confident in your decisions and stick with them!
• If the problem can not be resolved in the room, take it
out of the room to the Judges Appeals Room.
Any questions?
Let’s Play!!!
National Ocean Sciences Bowl
www.nosb.org
Kathleen Meehan Coop
kmeehancoop@oceanleadership.org
202-448-1232
NOSB, Director