Greenhills students head to Colorado for National Ocean Sciences Bowl nationals
The Greenhills National Ocean Sciences Bowl team is heading to Colorado April 19 to compete against other top high school scholars in the 21st annual National Finals Competition of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl.
From left: Emily Wang, Beatrice Chen, Bharath Yalavarthi, coach Deano Smith, Sebastian Adams, and Matthew Karpenko.
The five-member Greenhills A-Team won the Great Lakes Regional NOSB competition and will join 22 other regional winners (out of more than 350 competing teams) at the finals at the University of Colorado Boulder. This is the second time Greenhills has represented the Great Lakes Region at the national competition.
The Greenhills NOSB A-team includes seniors Bharath Yalavarthi and Emily Wang, junior Beatrice Chen, and freshmen Sebastian Adams and Matthew Karpenko.
“It’s just such a great bunch of students,” said Greenhills science teacher Dr. Deano Smith, who coaches the team along with fellow science teacher Julie Smith. “The fact that we have two ninth-graders going to Nationals is just awesome. I’ve been really privileged to work with the older students throughout their high school years, but the excellent crop of freshmen this year will help build a strong Greenhills team for the future.”
In Boulder, the five will test their knowledge of ocean-related topics by answering buzzer-style, multiple choice questions, and longer, critical thinking-based team challenge questions. They also will participate in the Science Expert Briefing, a mock congressional hearing where students present science recommendations on proposed legislation, enhancing their critical thinking skills and building a better understanding of the broader context of science.
Along the way there also will be time for science-related field trips in the Boulder area, Smith said.
The NOSB, the signature education program of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, is building the next generation of ocean-literate citizens and scientists. The theme this year is Our Ocean Shaping Weather. Follow the Greenhills team at the NOSB National Finals on Twitter (@NOSBRocks), Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr using #NOSB18.
