Students at Orca Bowl

Published 3:13 pm Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Emerging young oceanographers and marine biologists from Friday Harbor high school and other schools around the state will gather on Saturday, Feb. 27 at the University of Washington’s Fishery Sciences Building to vie for a slot in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl.

Each year, the UW campus is the site where hundreds of high school students, scientists, volunteers, and science teachers gather for the popular Orca Bowl marine science tournament, hosted by UW’s College of the Environment and organized by Washington Sea Grant.

In 2016, approximately 2,000 students from over 300 high schools nationally will participate.

The event is high-energy, fun, and fierce competition, but behind all the fun lies a very serious educational purpose: nurturing a new generation of marine scientists.

This is vitally important as Puget Sound increasingly contends with marine issues, such as ocean acidification, climate change, fishing pressures, and other threats to the seas that sustain us.