Budding young marine biologists and oceanographers will once again descend upon the University of Washington’s Fishery Sciences Building to vie for a slot in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl.

On Saturday, Feb. 27, Bainbridge High students Jade and Justin Greer, Victoria McDonald, Katherine Merifield, Elizabeth Rolfes and Nicole Sanford, assisted by teachers Charles Dunn and Jason Ultvlugt, will compete against 19 other teams from around the region in this year’s Orca Bowl. Beginning at 9 a.m., teams will be tested through quick answer buzzer questions and thought-provoking team challenge questions around the theme “Our Changing Ocean: Science for Strong Coastal Communities.”

The winning team will go on to compete against 24 other regional champions in the 19th annual National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) April 21-24 in Morehead City, North Carolina.

NOSB strives to encourage and support the next generation of marine scientists, policy makers, teachers, explorers, researchers, technicians, environmental advocates and informed citizens, to be stewards of the ocean.

Most high school students do not have the opportunity to study ocean science as part of their formal coursework, which makes the Orca Bowl and NOSB one of the only ways students gain exposure to this field.