CORVALLIS, Ore. – For the seventh time in the 11-year history of the Salmon Bowl, Neah-Kah-Nie High School has emerged victorious.

Hosted by the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University, the Salmon Bowl is a competition among high school teams that tests their knowledge about marine science. The winning team represents Oregon at the national competition, held this April in Alaska.

Neah-Kah-Nie had won the last two Salmon Bowls and emerged victorious again in 2008, defeating the Grant High School “A” team in the final round. The Neah-Kah-Nie team was coached by Beth Gienger and Peter Walczak. Team members include Sean Compton, Mikaela Atkinson, Bryan Delgadillo, Josh Degayner and Kevin Filosi.

Grant finished second in the competition, and the “A” team from Benson High School was third. A second team from Neah-Kah-Nie finished fourth.

Astoria’s “A” team received the sportsmanship award.

“The Salmon Bowl is a fun way to encourage student interest in the marine sciences,” said Pete Strutton, a faculty member in the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences and an adviser to the event. “Climate change and other issues have focused public attention on the world’s oceans and interest in the Salmon Bowl has increased every year.”

The statewide competition is part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, which aims to develop the next generation of marine scientists, policy makers, educators, explorers, researchers and advocates. It is organized by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, a group of 85 universities and aquaria, including OSU. More information is available at: http://www.nosb.org/

Sixteen teams at the 2008 Salmon Bowl tackled questions about the global carbon cycle, phytoplankton, ocean currents, tsunamis, undersea earthquakes, fisheries and climate change – to name just a few, according to Eleanor Hodak, a graduate student in COAS and one of the coordinators of the event.

A sample question: Why are green sea turtles called what they are? Is it because A) In their preferred habitat, refracted light makes them look green; B) Fat deposits inside them are green; C) they were first identified by biologist Jacob Green; or D) they feed primarily on green algae. The answer: “B.”

For more information on OSU's College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, visit the college website.

Source: 

Pete Strutton,
541-737-2065

Click photos to see a full-size version. Right click and save image to download.