The Penguin Bowl

Hosted by YSU, STEM College and Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

Saturday, February 1, 2025

Kilcawley Center, Youngstown State University See campus map at https://ysu.edu/campus-map.

Register by January 19th to ensure a spot in the competition.

THE NATIONAL OCEAN SCIENCES BOWL

The National Ocean Sciences Bowl is a competition for high school students on topics related to the study of the oceans. It is a round robin, double-elimination academic tournament consisting of written and oral questions about the oceans and Great Lakes. The National Ocean Sciences Bowl is a program of the Center for Ocean Leadership, a University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Community Program. The NOSB was first conducted in 1998 in honor of the International Year of the Ocean. Past prizes have included trips to Panama, Costa Rica, Alaska, the Southampton Oceanography Centre in England; the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies on Catalina Island, California; the Florida Keys; Hawaii; the Great Lakes Field Station; cruises on research vessels; visits to oceanographic institutions and aquaria; scholarships; scientific equipment and books.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

High schools (or other groups of H.S. grade students) organize teams of five students (four players and one alternate) and a coach to compete in the Penguin Bowl regional competition at either Youngstown State University or the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium on a Saturday in February (or early March). The first-place winners from the Penguin Bowl and 24 other regional competitions will meet in April either virtually or in-person for the national championship.

REGISTRATION FEE

After over a decade of being free, the Penguin Bowl must now charge a registration fee. The fee is $150 per team. Thanks to support from the YSU STEM College, new schools are eligible for the STEM Dean Crèche Prize, which will cover the first-time registration for up to four A-Teams per year. A new school is defined as one that has not competed in NOSB since 2014. (NOTE: If you register a B-Team and it does not compete, or use any resources, the registration fee will be returned).

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW?

Every student participating will receive prizes for competing. The top four teams will win a trophy and other team resources. Registration is limited to 16 teams. You must register on-line through a Google sheets form. Registration will be on a first-come first-served basis. Only one team per school can have a confirmed slot prior to the designated date for that year. If there are any slots open after registration closes a school may have a second team compete, based on a waiting list. If you want to bring two teams register both teams on-line as soon as possible. Please contact Dr. Felicia Armstrong (330) 941-1385 or fparmstrong@ysu.edu, PenguinBowl2021@gmail.com to receive link to Google sheets registration form.

GETTING STARTED

The first thing to do is form a team of five students and a coach. Most teams will represent their high school with a teacher as coach. However, home-school groups, 4-H clubs, scouting or other troops are invited to participate. Coaches are not restricted to teachers. Parents, other adults or college students are encouraged to volunteer as a coach. You must register on-line (completely) to secure a place. Changes can be made later.  If you do not have all five students determined, you can make up a name when you register and change it later. (NOTE: This doesn't apply if you want to also submit a B-Team application.) For more information, or to volunteer at Penguin Bowl, contact Dr. Felicia Armstrong at (330) 941-1385 or via email at fparmstrong@ysu.edu. Visit https://nosb.org/team-information/ for rules and sample questions.