WHAT: A regional ocean sciences competition, the Los Angeles “Surf Bowl,” will bring 18 local high schools to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., on Saturday, March 2. JPL and USC’s Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies co-host the academic competition.

The event uses a game-show format and includes multiple-choice and short-answers questions on five main disciplines: biology, physics, chemistry, geology and math. Each team has four students, one alternate and a coach.

The winning team from this event will compete against 24 other regional champions at the National Ocean Sciences Bowl in Milwaukee, Wis., on April 18 to 21, 2013. About 2,000 students from more than 300 high schools nationwide participate in this academic competition. The theme for this year’s competition is “The Great Lakes: A Window Into Freshwater Science.”

The purpose of the competition is to foster the next generation of marine scientists, researchers and environmental advocates. The National Ocean Sciences Bowl is a program of the nonprofit Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education, based in Washington, D.C.

WHO: Students from 18 local high schools (list provided below).

WHEN: Saturday, March 2, from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Final matches begin at about 4:45 p.m. The awards presentation begins around 5:45 p.m.

WHERE: JPL, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, Calif. 91109

Media who would like to cover the event at JPL must arrange access by Friday, March 1 at 11 a.m. by contacting Elena Mejia at elena.mejia@jpl.nasa.gov or the Media Relations Office at 818-354-5011. Valid media credentials are required, and non-U.S. citizens must provide a valid passport.

Participating High Schools

Arcadia High School, Arcadia
Channel Islands High School, Oxnard
Crescenta Valley High School, La Crescenta
Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School, Los Angeles
Herbert Hoover High School, Glendale
Huntington Beach High School, Huntington Beach
La Canada High School, La Canada
Mark Keppel High School, Alhambra
North Hollywood High School, North Hollywood
Palos Verdes High School, Palos Verdes Estates
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Rolling Hills Estates
Pasadena High School, Pasadena
San Dimas High School, San Dimas
Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica
Temple City High School, Temple City
University High School, Irvine
West Covina High School, West Covina
Woodbridge High School, Irvine