Roisin Magee, a 2007 graduate of Winston Churchill High School, was one of four students in the country to receive a National Ocean Scholarship from the National Ocean Sciences Bowl.
Magee co-founded and was captain of the Ocean Science Bowl Team at Winston Churchill High School. She will begin her freshman year at Tufts this fall, and plans to pursue a degree in biology with a focus on marine biology.
"I am interested specifically in the field of sharks," Magee said. "Ninety percent of large sharks have been decimated and since they control the food chain, if they die out then there will be a very big problem for humans and for the environment."
Last summer, Magee was one of six students who interned at Redwood National and state parks in California. There the interns helped complete the first survey of the park coastline. "It was nice to be able to contribute to their work as the data we collected will be used as a baseline for further research in the area," Magee said.
Next summer, Magee hopes to intern with Summer Scholars, a Tufts program that places students with a professor in their field of interest. "I look forward to pursuing that for next summer with the marine biology professor," she said.
The National Ocen Sciences Bowl is a program of the Consortium for Oceanographic Research & Education (CORE) based in Washington, D.C. It awards four annual scholarships of $6,000 to encourage the recipients to pursue an undergraduate degree with a focus on marine sciences.
For more information about the National Ocean Sciences Bowl visit www.nosb.org.