Source:
James Sterns JASterns@ufl.edu, (352) 392-1826 ext. 222
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For the fourth consecutive year, a University of Florida team of students has won the annual North American Academic Quiz Bowl competition at the national meeting of the American Agricultural Economics Association.
The undergraduate team from the food and resource economics department in UF’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences has won the national competition five times during the past six years. At the July 24-27 AAEA meeting in Providence, R.I., the UF team also won the Outstanding Chapter Award, presented by the national organization in recognition of the best student chapter in the nation.
Students on UF’s winning team are Dusty Bass, a senior from Williston, Fla.; Kevin Johnson, a senior from Tampa; and David Ortega, a senior from Maracaibo, Venezuela.
James Sterns, an assistant professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and faculty advisor to the students, said the 2005 double-elimination tournament involved 31 teams, with students participating from 18 schools in the United States and Canada. He said the championship UF team, competing in a 32-team bracket, won six consecutive games, never losing a round during the tournament.
The competition is similar in format to the “Jeopardy” television game show, he said. “The Quiz Bowl contest allows undergraduate students to test their basic knowledge of agricultural economics. The tournament is set up to allow each team to play at least two games.”
The questions were divided into eight categories: microeconomics, resources/policy, macroeconomics, agricultural business/finance, marketing, management, quantitative, and potpourri (a mix from the other seven categories).
Other UF students participating in the competition included Michael Curtis, a senior from Alachua, Fla.; Timothy Levis Johnson, a senior from Live Oak; Gary Schaefer, a senior from Plant City; Jason Beutke, a sophomore from Alachua; and Alicia Taylor, a sophomore from Myakka City.
Other U.S. institutions competing in the quiz bowl included University of Arkansas, California Polytechnic Institute, University of Idaho, University of Illinois, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, University of Missouri, Ohio State University, Oklahoma State University, Purdue University, University of Nebraska, Texas Tech University, Virginia Tech University and West Texas A&M University. Canadian participants included the University of Alberta, McGill University and the University of Manitoba.
During the meeting, AAEA also recognized Lisa House, an associate professor in UF’s food and resource economics department, as the organization’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year for 2005.
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