You can contribute to science education in Virginia and help spark the next generation of aspiring marine scientists.  It’s a great tradition and we hope you can get involved in the:

BLUE CRAB BOWL

at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science,

Gloucester Point, VA

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Volunteer recruitment for Blue Crab Bowl 2009 will begin in Fall 2008.  Visit again in September-October for information on volunteer training schedules.

Each winter, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), College of William & Mary, and Old Dominion University’s Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (OEAS) co-host a high school academic competition focused on the ocean sciences. 

Sixteen teams from across the state will participate in the 12th Annual Blue Crab Bowl conducted at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science campus.  

Our Virginia regional competition is one of 25 contests conducted around the nation each year as part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB®), a program coordinated by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership in Washington, DC.  NOSB seeks to generate student interest and excitement about science and the oceans, and give young people a chance to examine marine science as a field of study and possible career path.  Learn more about NOSB at their website.  The winner of the Blue Crab Bowl faces other top regional teams in April at the national competition.

Inspiring young marine scientists is rewarding, but it does take some work!  About 70 volunteers are needed to run the event. ODU contributes 4 teams of officials, as does VIMS, and we need additional scientists to grade the Team Challenge Questions, and other volunteers to help with event operations.   For a position that suits you, review the job thumbnails.  More detailed descriptions of responsibilities are linked to each thumbnail.  The updated 2008 versions of all training materials for officials are available in the Officials PDF Folder on the "More Information" page.

BCB staff at VIMS and ODU will be holding orientations and training sessions for volunteers interested in helping this inspiring and faculty, student and staff-intensive extravaganza.

Questions? 
Contact the BCB Coordinator.