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Canyon Crest team shines at Ocean Science bowl

CARMEL VALLEY — On the weekend of May 16, students from Canyon Crest Academy in Carmel Valley, placed third in the National Finals of the 24th annual National Ocean Sciences Bowl.

Students on the championship team include Mason Holmes (captain), Andrew Kuang, Eleanor Crotty and Andrew Zhang, coached by Erinn Eddingfield and Mary Holmes.

An interdisciplinary ocean science education program of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, the NOSB tests students’ knowledge of ocean science topics, including cross-disciplines of biology, chemistry, policy, physics, and geology.

This year’s theme, Plunging into Our Polar Seas, tasked students with learning about the scientific processes behind and consequences of the changes taking place in the Arctic and Antarctic.

To qualify for finals, the teams first had to win their regional competitions. More than 210 teams, representing nearly 30 states, participated in the NOSB.

Through buzzer-style, multiple-choice questions and open-ended team challenge questions, students tested their general knowledge of ocean science and showcased what they learned about the complex, vulnerable ecosystems of the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as the research needed to address issues facing our polar regions.

This year’s theme also highlighted one Arctic study in particular — the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate, or MOSAiC, project.

Modeled after the 1893-1896 Fram journey, MOSAiC is a collaborative, international research expedition that froze a scientific research vessel in sea ice for a year to study the changing ocean in the Arctic.