Students from Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego, California, won the national finals of the 25th annual National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB).

An interdisciplinary ocean science education program of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, the NOSB tests students’ knowledge of ocean science topics, including the cross-disciplines of biology, chemistry, policy, physics and geology.

This year, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, students competed in a hybrid competition season, culminating in two-weeks of online competition, mentoring and interactive “field trip” events as part of the NOSB finals.

For this year’s theme, “Climate Change: Ocean Science and Solutions,” students studied up on the interconnected processes influencing Earth’s climate at global and regional scales, the impacts of climate change, and the opportunities and approaches to adaptation or mitigation.

Through buzzer-style, multiple-choice questions and open-ended team challenge questions, students tested their general knowledge of ocean science and showcased what they learned about the ways that the biggest driver of climate, the ocean, impacts and is impacted in turn by climate change, as well as the myriad ways that modern science can mitigate those impacts.

Teams also presented science recommendations on a piece of legislation in the Science Expert Briefing, a mock congressional hearing that enhances the critical thinking elements of the competition and focuses on real-world skills.

Students on the championship team include: Mason Holmes, Emily Zhang, Andrew Kuang, Andrew Zhang and Shrey Goel, with Mary Holmes as their coach.

In total, more than 220 teams (made up of more than 1,100 students representing nearly 30 states) participated, adding to the more than 40,000 students who have passed through the ocean sciences competition over the last 25 years.

A full list of the 2022 NOSB Finals participants is available here.

For more information about NOSB, visit: www.nosb.org.