Great Lakes Victory Tour for Ocean Science Bowl Team

NOAA Shows Dexter (Mich.) High School Team the Wonders in their Own Backyard

Derek Parks
Office of Program, Planning and Evaluation
NOAA Ocean and Atmospheric Research

Rochelle Plutchak
Office of Communications
NOAA Ocean and Atmospheric Research

When the ocean science team from Dexter, Mich., learned their prize for taking 4th place in the 2008 National Ocean Sciences Bowl would be a four-day tour of their home state, the irony was not lost on them.  However, it was quickly overshadowed by their excitement at having placed so highly in this prestigious national science competition.

The NOSB, in its 11th year, is designed to cultivate a new generation of marine scientists, policy makers, and informed citizens.  Teams of students compete in a timed question and answer format at local, regional, and national levels.

As a reward for their exceptional performance in the national final, the team was treated to a four-day science-based tour of Michigan’s Great Lakes, organized and led by the Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research and the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. 

The team of four boys and one girl from Dexter High was thrilled to make it this far.  Although they were favorites at the regional competition in Ann Arbor, the competition from larger, coastal schools during the April finals in Seward, Alaska, was stiff.  Despite the pressure, the Dexter team did not spend every minute cramming for the competition.  They felt it was more important to explore their surroundings and enjoy the experience.

Over the past year, the Dexter team put in daily extra-curricular study time under the guidance of their coach and science teacher, Cheryl Wells.  She created sample tests and gathered background reading materials from books and the internet on subjects as varied as ocean and great lakes ecosystems, geology, biology, history, policy, and even literature. 

“We started getting ready about a year before the competition,” said Wells.  “Whenever we couldn’t answer a question, we went to the NOAA websites to get the answers and to find more background material.  There is a whole bunch of good information on those sites.”

Highlights of the trip included a visit to the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary in Alpena, Mich.,, and some very chilly shipwreck snorkeling, a scenic kayak and canoe tour of the Au Sable River, and a half-day cruise on the R/V Laurentian, one of GLERL’s Green Ships. 

While at Thunder Bay, the team received a guided tour of the facility and their brand new shipwreck exhibit, where they learned about the history of Great Lakes shipwrecks and how the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary was created to preserve this valuable part of Great Lakes’ history.  The Dexter team also had the opportunity to snorkel at two shipwrecks within the sanctuary, the Monohansett and Czar.

The grand finale of the victory tour of Michigan’s “Mitten” was Muskegon, where the team stayed at GLERL’s Lake Michigan Field Station.  Although swimming in Lake Michigan, building bonfires and making s’mores were all part of the team’s fun, they said the true highlight of the trip was the half day spent on the R/V Laurentian.  During the cruise, the Dexter team assisted NOAA fisheries biologist Steve Pothoven, who gave them a lesson on how research is conducted on the Great Lakes.

Pothoven demonstrated classic oceanographic sampling methods including sediment grabs, zooplankton net tows, Secchi disk readings, and fish trawls.  He showed the Dexter students how to identify fish and other small invertebrates in the water and on the lake floor, and how NOAA analyzes these samples to better understand the ecology and health of the Great Lakes.  In particular, the group learned how invasive species and pollution have affected the health of the lakes

After a week of driving around Michigan, living in research quarters, and dining on fast food, the students were tired, but happy.  When asked about their National Ocean Science Bowl experience, the team agreed that it has influenced their future decisions on schools and careers, and through their prize, they gained a new appreciation for the wonders in their own backyard.