The Consortium for Ocean Leadership Website, along with its 95 member institutions and in partnership with the National Marine Educators Association (NMEA), conducts a national competition for high schools on topics related to the study of the oceans: the National Ocean Sciences Bowl.

WIES will once again partner with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to host the 9th Annual Los Angeles Ocean Sciences Bowl. On February 23, 2008, teams from across Los Angeles County will compete in a timed, round-robin style academic competition that focuses on ocean-related topics.

This competition is intended to increase knowledge of the oceans on the part of high school students, their teachers and parents, as well as to raise the visibility and public understanding of the national investment in ocean-related research.

Specific objectives of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl are to:

• Broaden the awareness and understanding of high school students, teachers, and parents of the latest scientific research on the oceans and on the critical impact of the oceans on global climate and weather, economic well-being, history and culture;
• Create an ideal opportunity to expose teachers to the value and excitement of using the oceans as a tool for both disciplinary and cross-disciplinary science education; teaching biology, physics, chemistry, geology and math integrated into study of the ocean;
• Provide an opportunity for university oceanographic research programs and facilities to develop new links with the pre-college communities in their respective regions.
  
  
  

  For additional information please contact:
  
  Ann Close (close@usc.edu, 213-740-6705) or
  Sue Anderson (suema@usc.edu, 213-740-6559)
  
  USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies
  3616 Trousdale Parkway, AHF 410
  Los Angeles, California 90089-0371