The Juneau Douglas Ocean Science Group visited the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward through the March 2023 Tsunami Bowl. (Photo courtesy of Shannon Easterly & Shelby Surdik)
Just after college, empty pizza boxes lay stacked on a lab bench in Shelby Surdick’s science classroom. The smell lingered as the Juneau Douglas Higher College Ocean Science group waited for coach Shannon Easterly’s subsequent query.
“Which is the most endangered whale?” she asked.
1 student fired off a series of incorrect answers.
“Blue whale, sperm whale, bowhead whale.”
Easterly stopped him.
“It is a smaller, tiny porpoise named a vacuita,” she stated. “We never know for certain, but there are significantly less than 20 people.”
“Oh, I hate it,” stated Peyton Edmonds, one particular of the students, displaying her teammates a vaquita on her telephone. “That is not cute.”
The group practices right here 3 instances a week, but Tuesday was their very first meeting given that winning the Tsunami Bowl in Alaska earlier this month. It is a national ocean science competitors. This year, in Seward, the college won the buzzer-style competitors — the third year in a row that Juneau has won.
Rest-A-Shored (left) and Absolutely free Radicals (correct) competed in the final round of the 2023 Tsunami Bowl. (Photo courtesy of Shannon Easterly & Shelby Surdik)
The freshman group, “Yeah, Buoi,” won very first location in their division, whilst the A-group “Absolutely free Radicals” and B-group “Rest-A-Shored” faced off in the final round and won very first and second location, respectively. . .
Carson Carrlee, captain of Yeah-Buoi, was shocked. He stated competing in Seward feels various than practicing.
“Right just after college, when you happen to be truly tired and you have got the A-Group sitting there, you happen to be barely buzzing. So it can really feel like you never know something,” he stated.
In the heat of competitors, that changed.
“It truly shows that you happen to be basically understanding factors,” he stated. “You basically start off to develop into, like, some sort of scientist.”
The Tsunami Bowl, hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, is far more than a competitors. It is a crash course in all factors ocean science, with researchers and specialists from across the nation.
The Juneau teams visited a boat simulator at the Alaska Maritime Education Center, attempted out a tsunami evacuation drill and went behind the scenes at the Alaska Marine Life Center.
A and B-teams also participated in the investigation element of the competitors, exactly where teams presented original investigation papers and oral presentations. This year’s theme was mariculture in Alaska.
Djuno’s students focused on farming geoducks, sea cucumbers and oysters. Easterly stated the students’ investigation efforts are her favored element of the competitors.
“The sound is entertaining,” she stated. “But writing that paper and then possessing the chance to truly practice public speaking and present your investigation — to a crowd of not only your peers, but adults from across the nation — is truly beneficial.”
Juneau Douglas’ “Absolutely free Radicals” will continue to compete in the 2024 National Ocean Sciences Bowl. (Photo courtesy of Shannon Easterly & Shelby Surdik)
Surdik joined as a coach final year. She stated the competitors attracts students who may possibly not initially be interested in ocean science. Some join for the reason that buddies join them. Other individuals join for a smaller bribe — additional credit in science class.
“Even if they never really feel motivated by the competitors, just to love the understanding course of action and find out that they really like science, I consider that is a large reward,” Surdik stated.
Carly, a freshman, says she will certainly be back subsequent year.
“I really like all my other clubs,” Carly stated. “But the NOSB. You truly do really feel like you happen to be wise. And you discover factors.”
And the ocean science bowl encourages students to stick with STEM education, Easterly says. Education on Tuesday was proof.
“We did not even inform them there was going to be pizza.” And they came anyway,” she stated.
Subsequent year, Easterly will take the Absolutely free Radical A-Group to the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, exactly where they will compete against winning teams from about the nation.