Blue Crab Bowl Ocean Science Quiz Returns to Old Dominion
February 01, 2016
The team from Bishop Sullivan Catholic School has won the Blue Crab Bowl for eight consecutive years.
Sixteen teams of Virginia high-school science students will compete in the 19th annual Blue Crab Bowl hosted by Old Dominion University on Feb. 5-6.
The Blue Crab Bowl is one of 25 regional competitions affiliated with the annual National Ocean Science Bowl, an academic contest that tests knowledge of the oceans. The Virginia regional event is co-hosted by the Old Dominion and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
In the round-robin, double-elimination tournament, teams of four students answer rapid-fire, quiz-bowl style questions in such areas as chemistry, biology, physical oceanography and marine technology. They also respond to longer, analytical challenges with written answers.
Competition begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 6 in the North Café of Webb University Center.
All regional winners move on to the National Ocean Sciences Bowl finals in Morehead City, N.C. on April 21-24. Bishop Sullivan Catholic School, in Virginia Beach, has won the Blue Crab Bowl for eight consecutive years.
This year's Blue Crab Bowl competitors are Bishop Sullivan Teams A and B; Broadwater Academy A and B (Exmore); Chesapeake Bay Governor's School (Glenns); Chesapeake Bay Governor's School A and B (Warsaw campus); Churchland (Portsmouth); Culpeper County A and B (Culpeper); Fauquier (Warrenton); Governor's School for Science and Technology; New Horizons A and B (Hampton); Isle of Wight Academy (Isle of Wight); Seton School A and B (Manassas).
The National Ocean Sciences Bowl was launched in 1998 by the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education. It serves to generate student interest and excitement about science and the oceans, and to provide a venue for students to excel and earn regional and national recognition.
Additionally, it gives young people a chance to examine marine science as a field of study and possible career path. Nationwide, there are now 25 competition regions.
A variety of prizes for students and coaches are awarded at both the regional and national bowls.
To date, the Blue Crab Bowl has involved nearly 1,400 students from 52 public and private schools across the Commonwealth of Virginia.