ºÚÁÏÉçÇø

Whoops of joy and shouts of encouragement echoed throughout the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering building as more than 100 middle schoolers converged for the first-ever Ocean Bowl Games. Over two days, they competed in brain games, playground challenges, STEM stations, and an e-sports tournament. , the host and youth nonprofit organization that blends STEM education and e-sports gaming, broadcast the tournament live on its YouTube channel.

While laughter and excitement were front and center, behind the scenes was a clear purpose: introducing youth to higher education. Faculty members from , UMD’s Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering program, University of Baltimore’s Integrated Design program, and UMD’s Fermentation Science program participated and gave youth a glimpse of degree offerings available on the USG campus.

Ocean Bowl Games marks a new addition to USG’s initiative to expose youth to local college pathways and inspire the next generation to achieve a college degree.