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Ocean Science Is Academic to Spoonbill Bowl Participants in Florida
On Saturday, February 11, a Regional National Ocean Science Bowl, known as the Roseate Spoonbill Bowl, took place in St. Petersburg, Fla. Four U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) employees from the St. Petersburg office participated in the full-day event: Lisa Robbins, Jack Kindinger, Laura Fauver, and Martha Loyd. The event was hosted by the University of South Florida (USF)'s College of Marine Science on its campus and within the nearby Fish and Wildlife Research Institute of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The event was kicked off with a talk about fascinating research in the distant world of Antarctica by USF professor Jose Torres. From there, the students from 12 different high schools within west Florida participated in fast-paced rounds of Jeopardy-like questions concerning the ocean. Jack Kindinger served as a coach for Seminole High School. A team of expert judges, including Lisa Robbins, Kent Fanning (USF), Yonggang Liu (USF), Pam Hallock (USF), and Suni Pyrtle (USF), also helped to grade written answers. Laura Fauver participated as a scorekeeper, and Martha Loyd participated as a "runner" for Lake Brantley School to provide information back and forth to judges. Durant High School won first place and will represent Florida's west coast when they proceed to the national competition in Monterey, Calif., in May 2006. Mitchell High School's team B won second place, with Seminole High School's team A in third place and Seminole High School's team B in fourth. Lake Brantley High School won the Sportsmanship Award. Beth Fisher, a student at USF College of Marine Science, led the organization of the event and, according to Peggy Wise, coach from St. Petersburg High School, Beth did an outstanding job: "The professionalism and organization of the NOSB were unparalled [in comparison with] any academic event I have attended. I have been telling friends and educators alike about the educational experience you afforded the students. Thank you to all who helped organize and execute this exceptional event." The USGS traditionally participates in this event and this year supplied the participating students with USGS materials and Spoonbill Bowl buttons. All the USGS participants agreed that this continues to be an inspiring event.
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in this issue:
GIS Specialist Shares Expertise with Local Community Spoonbill Bowl
Geomorphologist Joins the WCMG Team  |
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U. S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
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