Compete in the 2025 Blue Lobster Bowl at MIT
WHEN
- Saturday 3/01/2025, 9:30am-6pm Entire teams must participate all day.
- Rain Date: 3/02/2025
Postponement decision will be made by 3pm on Thursday 2/27/2025. -
Sign up by 12/13/2024
WHAT
Fun and engaging, head-to-head, in-person, ocean sciences competition for high school students in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, plus Maine and New Hampshire.
The Blue Lobster Bowl champion will earn the opportunity to compete against all of the other regional champions in a virtual, head-to-head national Finals hosted by NOSB with support by PMD on May 17 & 18, 2025.
This competition is hosted by People Making a Difference (PMD), the long-time host of the MA Blue Lobster Bowl, 2021 & 2022 CT-RI Quahog Bowl, 2024 NY Bay Scallop and NJ Shore Bowls, 2023 & 2024 Maine High School Science Bowl and 2023 Alumni Ocean Sciences Invitational.
Many volunteers are needed to officiate for the competition's matches. Volunteer applications will open on PMD's web site after Thanksgiving 2024 and conclude 2/6/2025 or whenever all positions have been filled. All volunteers must participate in at least one training-practice session at MIT in advance, and new moderators must participate in two and demonstrate mastery of this key role.
WHERE
M.I.T. Cambridge, MA
WHY
The NOSB's focus on ocean science education is important. Humans rely on a healthy ocean for oxygen, resources, jobs, and more. Our future leaders must be knowledgeable about ocean issues.
The ocean is an ideal interdisciplinary teaching tool for science, technology, education, and mathematics (STEM) that puts study in a real-world context. Working in the ocean environment poses challenges that push the innovation, engineering, and technology development needed in our workforce. However, ocean science is not a course generally offered at the high school level. The NOSB is one of the only ways students gain exposure to all of ocean science and related careers as they are beginning to chart their course in life.
Science bowls provide high school students with exciting opportunities to test their knowledge and understanding and to practice working together as a team to solve problems.
National Ocean Scholar Program
As part of the NOSB's continuing effort to recognize individual achievement, NOSB offers the National Ocean Scholar Program, awarding scholarships for tuition assistance to NOSB students who have an interest in pursuing an ocean or environmental science major in their first year of post-high school education. All applicants for this scholarship program must have competed in a regional NOSB competition at least once during their high school careers.
Learn about additional criteria and deadline at https://nosb.org/scholarships
HOW
To apply to compete in the 2025 bowl, head coaches must complete a separate Team Intent Form for each one of a high school's A and (optional) B teams. One form per team must be POSTMARKED by Friday, December 13, 2024. Full registration fee payment must also be postmarked by 12/13/24.
Please make checks payable to "People Making a Difference" and send one check per team with form(s) to
Lori Tsuruda/PMD
P.O. Box 120189
Boston, MA 02112-0189
Multiple teams from the same school can combine their forms inside one envelope, but we encourage you to send SEPARATE checks for each team in case of wait-listing/refunds. (Do NOT use FedEx or UPS since they don't deliver to post office boxes.)
Accounts payable folks can download PMD's Form W-9 if they need it.
If we have more interested teams than we can accommodate, we will accept one team (the "A Team") from every school that has applied. If we have raised enough funding and sufficient space remains, we will then accept all secondary teams ("B Teams"). If we cannot accommodate all of the teams in a class (A or B), we will determine competing schools from that class by random drawing of teams whose completed intent forms and payments are received by 12/20/24.
Coaches will be notified of their respective teams' statuses (competing or wait-listed** to compete in case there are cancellations) via email by December 21, 2024.
On 12/21/2024, coaches will also receive the PDF forms and links for registrations and consents due 1/31/2025 online.
**We strongly encourage coaches of waitlisted teams to register students online and for coaches and parents/guardians to complete their online consents also by the deadline, and to prepare to compete fully in case teams cancel or we recruit additional volunteers so that we can enlarge this bowl.
Registration Summary
1. Coach submits an INTENT FORM and $60/team for their team, to be POSTMARKED by 12/13/2024.
2. Regional Coordinator notifies the coaches of accepted and wait-listed teams and provides forms and links for team members by 12/21/2024.
3. Parents/guardians provide media, and recruitment consents for all students before 1/31/2025 online.
4. Coach zips together and emails completed forms for each team member, (optional) assistant coach, and self for his/her team AND enters this data online by 1/31/2025 online.
5. Coaches provide their own media consents by 1/31/2025 online.
COST
A $60 registration fee per team paid by check* payable to "People Making a Difference" must be sent to PMD, P.O. Box 120189, Boston, MA 02112-0189, POSTMARKED by Friday 12/13/2024. Specify team A or B. If using a personal check, please specify the school name and team A or B.
*Alternatively, payment can be made via PayPal to [email protected] (Remember to designate your school name and team A or B!) OR via credit card by returning a completed form to PMD by 12/13/2024. Credit card receipts will be automatically emailed to payees. PMD's credit card payment form is the third page of the Team Intent Form PDF.
RESOURCES
Coach Q&A Opportunities
Coaches may have their questions about the competition addressed during zoom office hours, 3-4pm on Fridays 1/3-24. These sessions will be question-driven by participants and so will NOT be recorded. The zoom link will be emailed to registered coaches.
WHO
The National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) is an academic competition and program that addresses a national gap in environmental and earth sciences in public education by introducing high school students to and engaging them in ocean science, preparing them for ocean science-related and other STEM careers, and helping them become knowledgeable citizens and environmental stewards.Pre-pandemic, about 2,000 high school students on 350 teams compete in 25 high school regional events.
The Blue Lobster Bowl regional competition for high school students in Massachusetts (and in 2025, like 2024, also Maine and New Hampshire) tests their knowledge of the marine sciences including biology, chemistry, physics, and geology as well as enhances public understanding and stewardship of the oceans.
High school teams of four to five students and a unique* teacher who serves as an advisor and coach, compete in fast-paced, head-to-head question-and-answer matches using a lock-out buzzer system. Teams also work together to solve longer Team Challenge Questions (TCQs).
*An adult coach must be present for all of a team's matches, meaning that one person cannot serve as the coach for more than one team.
Any public, private, or parochial high school or sanctioned home school is welcome to form a team of students in grades 9 through 12 to compete in the 2025 Blue Lobster Bowl on Saturday March 1, 2025, and must also commit to the snow postponement date, Sunday March 2, 2025.
Competing students must be less than 20 years old on 3/1/2025 or receive a special waiver from the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB).
Cost: $60/team
All participants will receive swag.
The top teams of the Blue Lobster Bowl competition will earn trophies and prizes. The championship team will represent the region in the NOSB National Finals competition if it meets all requirements, i.e., at least four students from the winning regional championship team, 100% participation
Teams Registered to Compete: alphabetically, as of 12/21
- Acton-Boxborough Regional High School
- Belfast Area High School A & B
- Falmouth High School A & B
- Lexington High School A & B
- Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School A & B
People Making a Difference (PMD) is a nonprofit organization that promotes informed and responsible volunteerism by involving people in mostly tangible, hands-on tasks and science bowls that meet local needs and by assisting companies and charities in building successful community involvement programs that:
- Produce appreciable results while conserving recipients' limited resources
- Educate volunteers about broader issues
- Bring people together to make a difference
The MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences (MIT EAPS) is a vibrant learning community where the turbulent oceans and atmosphere, the inaccessible depths of the inner Earth, distant planets, and the origins of life all come together. EAPS also fosters connections between EAPS scientists and schools and educational programs in the Boston area. EAPS' LINK-12 program is designed to fuel students� natural curiosity, igniting an interest in scientific discovery and STEM careers.
"Discovery is to see what everybody has seen and think what nobody has thought."
Nobel Laureate Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (1957)