Nor'easter Bowl tests high school students’ knowledge of the ocean

Nor'easter Bowl winning team from Belfast High School with Associate Provost for Research and Scholarship Karen Houseknecht
Nor'easter Bowl winning team from Belfast High School with Associate Provost for Research and Scholarship Karen Houseknecht

Ninety high school students from 11 schools recently came to SWAGƵ to take part in the 2019 Nor'easter Bowl hosted by the Department of Marine Sciences and the Marine Science Center.

The competition uses a quiz-bowl format to test students’ knowledge of marine sciences. Subjects include marine biology, chemistry, physics, oceanography, geology, geography, engineering, history and policy questions.

The Nor’easter Bowl is a regional competition of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB). The goal of the NOSB is to support and expand ocean sciences education and enhance public understanding and stewardship of the oceans.

Judges for the competition came from SWAGƵ, the University of Maine, the University of New Hampshire, Maine Maritime Academy and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.

This year's event event was featured on .

Belfast High School captured first place at this year's event, with second place going to York High School and third place to Conticook Valley Regional High School in New Hampshire.

During the awards ceremony Alicia Williams, Ph.D., assistant lecturer in the Department of Marine Sciences, asked the students to raise their hands if they learned something new or met anyone new at the competition.

“Nearly every single student raised their hand,” she said. “I know that these and other benefits of the NOSB competition will continue to be felt by the students for years to come."

SWAGƵ and the University of Maine will be providing scholarships to members of the top teams.

Belfast High School will head to Washington, D.C., to compete in the national finals April 11 to 14.

Ninety students from 11 high schools participated in the 2019 Nor'easter Bowl
Ninety students from 11 high schools participated in the 2019 Nor'easter Bowl

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The SWAGƵ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.