The challenges facing our ocean are evolving, and so are the careers dedicated to solving them. Join the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) and Ocean Conservancy for a deep dive into the world of ocean conservation careers! We’re bringing together three incredible early-career professionals to share their “navigation charts”. They’ll discuss the schools they chose, the risks they took, and the work they do every day to protect our coastlines. We welcome everyone, from current students to interested community members, to come learn how these ocean leaders are turning ocean literacy into action.

Thursday, January 29, 2026

7-8 pm Eastern / 4-5 pm Pacific

A recording of the event will be shared directly with those who register and posted on our YouTube channel, though we strongly encourage attendance to maximize engagement. This event is offered as part of our Professional Development Webinar Series for the 2026 Competition Theme “Ocean Conservation: Connecting Science and Stewardship for a Healthy Ocean.” You can expect at least one competition question to be based on the content presented in this event.

Meet our Early Career Panelists!

Aspen Bataille

Science & Knowledge RAY Fellow

Aspen Bataille is an early career interdisciplinary coastal scientist and the Science & Knowledge RAY Fellow for Ocean Conservancy. Aspen comes from the luku kairi maroon communities of Ayiti Kiskeya (commonly: Hispaniola) and currently lives outside of Washington, D.C. His work spans between several programs at Ocean Conservancy, including Arctic and Northern Waters, Climate, Fisheries, Plastic, and Conservation. Much of his time is spent using mixed ecological and socioecological data to provide support to projects across teams and with coastal community-partners.

Prior to joining the RAY Fellowship, Aspen graduated from George Mason University in 2021

with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology focusing on topics like food sovereignty and traditional ecological knowledge. Wanting to gain a deeper understanding of human-environment interactions and connectivity between ecosystems, he held positions in community-engaged research under the Marine & Community Conservation Externship with The Nature Conservancy and National Geographic Society and under the Thomas Lovejoy Amazon Biodiversity Center.

In his free time, Aspen enjoys hiking, exploring new foods, and sharing stories with friends.

Anjel Iriaghomo

Engagement and Outreach Specialist, International Coastal Cleanup®

Anjel Iriaghomo is the Engagement and Outreach Specialist on the International Coastal Cleanup® team at Ocean Conservancy. A Connecticut native based in northern Virginia, she helps cultivate, coordinate and activate strategic partnerships with other conservation organizations around the world. Anjel received her B.S. in Animal and Veterinary Science with a minor in Business Administration from Clemson University in 2022. After graduating, she accepted a position as a RAY Conservation Fellow, a two-year program that aims to increase and facilitate conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy-related career pathways for emerging leaders. She joined the Government Relations team at Ocean Conservancy where she gained experience on Capitol Hill lobbying on ocean advocacy policies and legislation.

As a second-generation Nigerian American, Anjel has always been a champion for the people and the planet, motivated by having a more sustainable and equitable future for all. 

She is accompanied by her trusted sidekicks, two quirky black cats.

Tyrese Mitchem

Government Relations Fellow

Tyrese Mitchem is a current RAY Fellow at Ocean Conservancy, where he works on the Government Relations team. His portfolio spans several programs at Ocean Conservancy, including Ending Ocean Plastics, Offshore Oil and Gas Decommissioning, and Ports and Shipping. He spends much of his time meeting with congressional staff on Capitol Hill to discuss ocean-related initiatives, researching legislation, and collaborating with team members to develop advocacy strategies. 

Tyrese moved to Washington, DC, after graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Sociology. While at UCSB, he held a range of environmental roles, including serving as an Informal Science Educator at the Research Experience and Education Facility (The REEF) and as program field staff with the Wilderness Youth Project. He also completed a senior thesis focused on the lack of racial and ethnic diversity within UCSB’s Environmental Studies program. 

In his free time, Tyrese enjoys running, reading manga, and being a plant dad!

(Boulder, CO) The National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) is now an endorsed program of the National FFA Organization. 

This partnership between the NOSB, a nationally recognized academic competition that inspires high school students to explore ocean science learning and ocean-related careers, and the National FFA Organization (formerly the Future Farmers of America), marks an exciting step in connecting two leading youth education programs that prepare our next generation of leaders in science, sustainability, and natural resource management.

The endorsement recognizes the shared goals of both programs: fostering scientific literacy, career readiness, and environmental stewardship.

The endorsement will allow FFA chapters across the country to integrate the NOSB’s focus on real-world science, problem solving, teamwork, and healthy competition, all skills critical to addressing the complex challenges facing agriculture and the environment, into their yearly programming. NOSB participants gain greater exposure to FFA’s extensive network of community members, resources, and other endorsed programs.

Together, the two national programs can inspire a generation of students who see the connections between healthy oceans, sustainable agriculture, and a thriving planet. 

About the NOSB

The National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB), managed by the Center for Ocean Leadership, a University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Community Program, 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 community members and environmental stewards. For more information, visit www.nosb.org.

About the National FFA Organization

The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 1,027,200 student members as part of 9,235 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at FFA.org and on Facebook and Twitter.

Sarvesh Garimella, Ph.D.

Chief Scientist & Chief Technology Officer, MyRadar

LinkedIn

My name is Sarvesh Garimella, and I am the Chief Scientist and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at MyRadar. We provide real-time alerting and visualization services to help people facing inclement weather and other environmental hazards. We are also government contractors, working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Office of Naval Research, the United States Air Force (USAF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and other government agencies. I first became involved with the NOSB as a high schooler during the 2004–2005 school year. At the time, I had no idea just how much NOSB would shape my life. Over the three years I participated as a student, our team won three regional competitions and competed in three National competitions. That journey opened the door to unique experiences: traveling to Pacific Grove and visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California, exploring the Gulf Coast and Great Lakes, and seeing other amazing places.

Each trip wasn’t just about the competition: it was about discovery, friendship, and inspiration. I met incredible, like-minded people who shared my passion for science, many of whom remain my friends today.

The NOSB pushed me far beyond the boundaries of my school curriculum. It encouraged me to dive deeper, to ask more questions, and to make connections between what I learned in the classroom and the real-world science shaping our planet. That spark guided my choice to study Earth, planetary, and climate sciences, first as an undergraduate at Caltech and later during my PhD at MIT.

The discipline, curiosity, and collaborative spirit NOSB fostered in me became essential skills for my research, from designing experiments to analyzing data to communicating results.

NOSB’s impact on my life didn’t end when I graduated high school. I’ve remained deeply connected to the program as a volunteer over the past 20 years, trying to give a little back to the community that gave me so much. Every year, I look forward to sharing my experiences with students, showing them what a career in science can look like and encouraging them to dream big. Seeing the same spark of curiosity in them has been so very rewarding, and I would be deeply saddened if future students were denied the opportunities I had. The NOSB is more than just a competition. It’s a launchpad for the next generation of scientists, innovators, and ocean stewards. It is a venue where students can not only discover the ocean, but also their own potential.

Supporting the NOSB means investing in young minds, in a future where curiosity, collaboration, and science are valued and celebrated. An investment in NOSB is an investment in American innovation.

Please consider this letter my deepest endorsement of the continuation of the NOSB and all that it does to shape the next generation.

When you support the NOSB, you aren’t just helping fund an academic competition, you are investing in the people who will lead the way in understanding and protecting our ocean for decades to come.  We need your help to keep the NOSB going in 2026 while also continuing our legacy.

The National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB), an education program of the Center for Ocean Leadership at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), inspires the next generation of ocean leaders through a nationwide quiz-bowl-style academic competition for high school students. Teams of four to five students and their coach compete at regional bowls hosted by partner institutions across the country for the opportunity to attend the National Finals. This year, a standout team from Tacoma, Washington, earned the prestigious James D. Watkins Sportsmanship Award, and with it, a field trip to the U.S. National Science Foundation’s National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), managed by UCAR, from July 21-23, 2025. The award honors Admiral James D. Watkins, who founded the NOSB in 1998 and was a champion for ocean science and education.

The team from Tacoma School of the Arts, coached by their marine biology teacher Megan Jacobsen, a NOSB alum, included students Jasper Pearce, Casper “Cas” Hagerstrom, Micah Larson, and Ian Sukys. After placing first at their regional competition, the Orca Bowl, hosted by the University of Washington, the team advanced to the National Finals. They entered the elimination rounds in last place but made an impressive comeback to secure their spot at the national level in only their second year of competing. They encountered several barriers to participating in the Virtual National Finals, held in May, but with help from the NOSB National Office and a little creative problem-solving, the team was able to fully engage in the event. Their goal was to have fun and learn something new. While they didn’t place in the top eight, their attitude, teamwork, and respect for fellow competitors and volunteers earned them the admiration of many. One volunteer noted, “They were confident they weren’t going to win against the competition but [were] having fun anyway.”

Their award trip, sponsored by the Friends of the National Center, included an immersive tour of NCAR, UCAR, and parts of the surrounding Boulder area. In just two and a half days, the team visited the High Altitude Observatory, the Mesa Lab and its Exploring Water Through Art exhibit, and the Research Aviation Facility. They learned about exhibit design, data visualization, and engineering in the face of stronger hurricanes. The students also had the opportunity to meet with UCAR President Tony Busalacchi and the Oceanography Section of the Climate and Global Dynamics Lab. The group spent time in the field at Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat, part of Boulder Open Space, on a trip led by volunteer naturalist and former NCAR scientist Peter Gent. They identified birds, dissected cattails, and discussed ocean and climate modeling. Before heading to the airport, they squeezed in one last stop at the nearby Butterfly Pavilion, where they encountered fascinating arthropods and learned about the biomedical value of horseshoe crab blood (a familiar topic in NOSB competitions).

The NOSB experience extends far beyond academic competition. It offers students opportunities to explore real-world science, connect with professionals in the field, and build a deeper understanding of the ocean and its many connections to our world. Thank you to everyone at UCAR, NCAR, and in the Boulder community who made this trip such a meaningful and memorable experience for a truly deserving team!

Special thanks to:
Peter Gent (Boulder Open Space), Katie Wolfson, Elizabeth Mays, and Emily Snode-Brenneman (Center for Science Education), the Oceanography Section (Climate and Global Dynamics Lab), Matt Rehme (Computational and Information Systems Lab), Dan Wick and Aaron Gunlock (Earth Observing Laboratory’s Research Aviation Facility), Emma Byers (Friends of the National Center), Kendall Kippley (Friends Community Art Program), Scott Sewell (High Altitude Observatory), and UCAR President Tony Busalacchi.

In a celebration of integrating art and science, the NOSB is proud to announce the top two winners of its STEAM Leader Challenge on ocean acoustics. This challenge invited high school students from across the country to explore their choice of ocean acoustic data through the lens of art, whether as a painting, digital media, sculpture, interactive installation, or sound design.

Students created engaging artistic representations of oceanic phenomena that highlighted the importance of their chosen data in an interesting way to engage an audience. Two teams showed how data can not only inform our understanding of the ocean, but inspire creative solutions to protect it and the life within.

Taking first place are Sofia Vea, Grace Ge, Jasmine Choi, Sophie Gong, Allie Fieber, Tanusha Mehtani, Anna Halim, Piper Butler, Coco Xu, and Natalie Powell from Santa Catalina School (Monterey, CA). The team’s submission, titled “Sounds of Monterey,” is an interactive installation that uses guitar strings and wooden poles of varying heights to create different sounds. Inspired by how spectrograms use color to represent sound frequency, the students incorporated different colored guitar strings to reflect the variability of surface water temperature across the twelve months of the year. Hotter temperatures produced higher-pitched sounds, while colder temperatures produced lower-pitched ones. Each month’s pole also featured colored beads to indicate the abundance of whale species in Monterey Bay (e.g., Humpback, Blue, Minke, etc.). The students were inspired by the emotional impact of different chord progressions and aimed to evoke distinct feelings in their audience.

Second place went to Marcy Greenberg and Robin Lee from Newton North High School (Newton, MA). Their submission, titled “Sound in Coral Reefs,” features two pieces of visual art accompanied by distinct soundscapes that highlight both natural and human-made sounds in bleached and healthy coral reef systems. The first piece depicts a colorless, bleached reef accompanied by only two sounds: the faint crackle of shrimp, the sole surviving organisms, and the hum of a personal watercraft, symbolizing the impact of anthropogenic sound pollution. The second piece portrays a vibrant reef restored by researchers who used hydrophones and underwater speakers to play recordings of healthy reefs, attracting species back to the area. The students created their own healthy reef soundscape by combining recordings of organisms commonly found in Indo-Pacific reefs. They were inspired to show how sound affects marine life, hoping to spread awareness about how to better protect and restore coral reefs. Note: The current project videos featured below are only short clips and the full length videos of the team’s art project will be added soon.

The NOSB congratulates our winners on their imaginative, insightful work!

The NOSB STEAM Leader Challenge is supported by the Office of Naval Research and created in partnership with Scoutlier, a free online learning platform for educators. 

The Center for Ocean Leadership (COL) is thrilled to announce the winners of the highly anticipated 2025 virtual National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) Finals Competition, which took place this past weekend in an exciting display of ocean science knowledge, teamwork, and passion for our blue planet. An interdisciplinary ocean science education program of COL, the NOSB has tested students’ knowledge of ocean-related topics through buzzer-style multiple choice and longer, critical thinking-based questions for 27 years. 

To qualify for the Finals, teams first had to win their regional competitions this past February and March. In total, more than 165 teams (made up of approximately 850 students representing 26 states) participated, adding to the more than 40,000 students who have passed through the ocean sciences competition over the last 27 years.

During the 2025 Finals Competition, the top 18 teams of high school students demonstrated their remarkable expertise in everything from ocean currents, marine mammal biology, coastal processes, and the 2025 theme of “Sounding the Depths: Understanding Ocean Acoustics.” The head-to-head competition, held virtually via Zoom, using an online buzzer system, was fierce. But in the end, only one team could claim victory.

The 2025 National Champions are: Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology from Alexandria, VA

The team from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology showcased their impressive knowledge in both the buzzer rounds and the problem-solving based Team Challenge Questions. Their victory is a testament to their curiosity, hard work, and hours of self-directed study. Students on the championship team includes Marta Anvelt, Krish Bommakanti, Jack Gao, Ethan Li, and David Yan (team photo below). They are coached by Shawn Stickler.

“We are incredibly proud to have had our hard work pay off and can’t wait to come back even stronger next year! We’d like to thank members of the TJHSST Ocean Bowl Club and our coach, Dr. Stickler, for their continued support – we could not have gotten as far as we did without them.” – Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Team

The top eight teams at the Finals Competition also included:

• 2nd Place – Midwood High School, Brooklyn, NY
• 3rd Place – Lynbrook High School, San Jose, CA
• 4th Place – Marshfield High School, Marshfield, WI
• 5th Place – Falmouth High School, Falmouth, ME
• 6th Place – Centerville High School, Centerville, OH
• 7th Place – Warwick High School, Newport News, VA
• 8th Place – Juneau-Douglas High School, Juneau, AK

The NOSB places an important emphasis on sportsmanship and awarded Tacoma School of the Arts from Tacoma, WA the James D. Watkins Sportsmanship Award and a trip to the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research which is managed by UCAR thanks to the Friends of the National Center. The award is named after Admiral James D. Watkins, who founded the NOSB in 1998 and was a champion for ocean science and education in the U.S.

“These students, as well as all our championship teams, have shown an extraordinary level of passion and knowledge about our ocean, and it’s exciting to see what happens when students combine a love of learning about our environment, competing, and working together towards a common goal,” said COL Director, Dr. Sonya Legg. “They are truly our next generation of ocean leaders in the making!”

“Thanks to everyone who made this weekend a success – from long-time sponsors to our dedicated regional coordinators and volunteers without whom the competitions simply wouldn’t happen,” added Melissa Brodeur, NOSB Program Manager. “And an extra huge thanks to our regional coordinator, Lori Tsuruda with People Making A Difference, for assisting with hosting the virtual Finals Competition and preparing students, coaches, and volunteers. The NOSB community, which continues to grow out of a shared goal of training our future generation of ocean science experts, shined this past weekend.”

The 2025 national NOSB program is made possible through the following major sponsors: 

• Schmidt Ocean Institute
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation
• The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
• IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society
• Friends of the National Center
• National Marine Educators Association

A complete list of sponsors can be found online.

In case you missed it, watch the recorded livestream of the NOSB Finals Championship Match: Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology vs. Midwood High School.

About National Ocean Sciences Bowl

The National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) is a program of the Center for Ocean Leadership. Now in its 27th year, the NOSB seeks to interest students in pursuing a college degree and a future career in the ocean sciences. Through this educational forum, the NOSB strives to encourage and support the next generation of marine scientists, policy makers, teachers, explorers, researchers, technicians, environmental stewards, and informed citizens to consider and appreciate the ocean. Most high school students do not have the opportunity to study ocean science as part of their formal coursework, which makes the NOSB one of the only ways students gain exposure to this field. Many past NOSB participants have moved on to pursue college degrees and careers in ocean science and related fields, helping to solve the growing environmental, economic and security issues facing our ocean and planet.

About Center for Ocean Leadership

The Center for Ocean Leadership (COL), a  University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Community Program, coordinates and facilitates collaborative ocean science, research, education, and communication efforts between and among government agencies and ocean research and education institutions. COL programs currently focus on ocean education, observing, and stewardship.