“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 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 – 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
2008: Seward, Alaska
2010: St Petersburg, Florida
2009: Washington, DC
2011: Galveston, TX
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
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
National Ocean Sciences Bowl
www.nosb.org
Kathleen Meehan Coop
NOSB Director
Allison Byrd & Christine Hodgdon
NOSB Program Specialists