Showcasing the life of scientists at sea through social media: Challenges and methods of connecting the public with off-shore scientists
Abstract
With an ever-growing public interest in the ocean sciences due to media exposure, it is imperative to leverage and establish effective methods of active science communication and outreach across all sectors of oceanic exploration. Some organizations and vessels have the advantage of being able to live-stream submersible footage direct from the seafloor; an attribute that serves as a very engaging outreach practice. Unfortunately, not all expeditions and vessels have this capability, and thus, active ocean science communication and outreach can be challenging for many research endeavors. On the other hand, a lack of physical seafloor exploration during an expedition presents an opportunity to explore different and exciting aspects of outreach and public engagement from on-board the ship.
In July of 2019, we conducted a 3D seismic reflection and geophysical survey of Axial Seamount, an active submarine volcano in the NE Pacific Ocean. We utilized a number of social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and blogposts) to access the different sensory and technical advantages that characterize each platform. Our outreach objectives were to highlight, not only the scientific activities, but the daily lives and backgrounds of the scientists, technicians and crew on board. In doing so, we brought our audience closer to the scientists, nurturing a potential pathway to improve public trust of science. With a large contingent of undergraduate and graduate students participating in the expedition, this was also an opportunity to highlight student life at sea and what brought them to the marine geosciences. We found that effective and impactful outreach was highly dependent on: 1) the preparations through initial "growth of the base" and fostering of useful connections prior to departure; 2) the ability to regularly share accessible and informative content while at sea; and 3) the follow up and continued engagement with our base beyond the expedition.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFMPA43C1175M
- Keywords:
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- 0815 Informal education;
- EDUCATION;
- 0845 Instructional tools;
- EDUCATION;
- 6699 General or miscellaneous;
- PUBLIC ISSUES