of National Ocean Sciences Bowl Narragansett, RI — January 30, 2001 — The regional tournament of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB), dubbed the Quahog Bowl, will be held at the University of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay Campus on Saturday, February 10. For the event, 16 teams of high school students from Rhode Island and Connecticut are busy preparing to compete in the regional competition. The NOSB was created in 1998 by the Consortium for Oceanographic Research to commemorate the International Year of the Ocean. Organized by the URI Office of Marine Programs, the 2001 Quahog Bowl is hosted by the URI Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) in collaboration with Mystic Aquarium, a major sponsor. Rhode Island students will compete from the following schools: two teams from Cranston High School West, Cranston High School East, Woonsocket High School, and Smithfield High School, and one team each from Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Narragansett High School, North Kingstown High School, Portsmouth High School, and West Warwick High School. A team from Cranston High School West was the 2000 Quahog Bowl winner and placed third in the national competition. Connecticut schools competing for the regional title include Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Southington High School, and Wilby High School in Waterbury. In preparation for the rapid-fire, question-and-answer contest, teams of five students study topics such as chemistry, geology, physics, history and economics of the marine environment. Top regional teams will be invited to Miami Beach, Florida, in April for the national final competition. Each of the five students on the top two teams in the Quahog Bowl will receive a $1,000 cash scholarship, a tour of the Naval Underwater Warfare Center in Newport, including a visit to the Center’s simulation laboratory, a field trip aboard the URI vessel Cap’n Bert, and premium memberships to Mystic Aquarium. “The goal of this national initiative is to interest bright high school students in ocean sciences,” said Gail Scowcroft, Associate Director of Marine and Environmental Education at URI’s Office of Marine Programs. “We have a critical need in the U.S. for scientists who will be able to solve marine-related problems, and we are pleased that the URI Graduate School of Oceanography is able to provide this service to Rhode Island and Connecticut high school students.” Patterned after the National Science Bowl, the National Ocean Sciences Bowl was inaugurated in 1998 to provide a forum for students who excel in math and science to receive national recognition for their diligence and talent while broadening their awareness and understanding of the oceans. Federal sponsors of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Office of Naval Research, the Oceanographer of the Navy, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, Anteon Corporation, the National Sea Grant College Program, and the Center for Marine Conservation. Major regional sponsors include the URI Graduate School of Oceanography; Mystic Aquarium; Pfizer, Inc.; Connecticut Sea Grant; Rhode Island Sea Grant; URI Friends of Oceanography; the URI President’s Office; the Continental Sloop Providence; and the Slater Center for Ocean Technology and Biotechnology. For more information about the competition, contact Gail Scowcroft in the URI Office of Marine Programs at (401) 874-6211 or visit the Quahog Bowl website at . Contact: Lisa Cugini, (401) 874-6642, Gail Scowcroft, (401) 874-6211