Florida Tech Hosts InSTEP Ocean Sciences Bowl Competition

 MELBOURNE, FLA. —Florida Institute of Technology’s InSTEP program is hosting two district-wide Ocean Sciences Bowl (OSB) competitions on April 30 and May 14, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. InSTEP, Integrated Science Teaching Enhancement Partnership, is a collaboration between Florida Tech and Brevard Public Schools, funded by the National Science Foundation. Open to the public, the competition will be held in the F.W. Olin Life SciencesBuilding auditorium.

The competition features InSTEP elementary and high school students throughout Brevard County. This year, there are about 30 elementary students who will participate in the Junior OSB and about 30 high school students who will join in the Senior OSB. Participating elementary schools include Longleaf, West Melbourne School for Science and Indialantic; participating high schools include Bayside, Heritage, Merritt Island, Melbourne and Viera. The high school teams will answer ocean-related questions in a round-robin style. Questions include biology, chemistry, geology and physics as well as technology topics.

Coaches for the teams are Florida Tech graduate teaching fellows of the InSTEP program and Brevard County teachers. They are Meagan Strouse and Amanda Spitery, Longleaf Elementary; Meghan Buckley, West Melbourne School of Science; Robin Robb, Indialantic; Janne Pfeiffenberger, Bayside High School; Philip Gravinese, Heritage High School; Ethan Hall, Melbourne High School; Bill McLamb, Merritt Island High School; and Morgan Tweedy, Viera High School.

The event is modeled after the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, a competition sponsored by the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education. It is designed to increase student understanding and knowledge of ocean-related topics. For more information, contact Richard Tankersley, College of Science professor, at (321) 674-8195.