53 Ocean Engagement in Australia
The environment in which marine researchers operate today is increasingly diverse (female scientists represent on average 38% of the researchers in ocean science, about 10% higher than science overall), multidisciplinary (39% of ocean science facilities work across a broad range of issues) and resource intensive (numerous staff and costly equipment including ships, ocean installations and laboratories are distributed around the world comprising, for example, 784 marine stations, 325 research vessels, and more than 3,800 Argo floats) (UNESCO, 2017). Diversity in both people and discipline drives innovation and progression.
‘Dynamic aerial shot of powerful ocean waves crashing with white foam and turquoise water’ by Mikhail Nilov used under a Pexels License
However, to achieve a society that genuinely values the ocean, educates and trains expert marine practitioners and engages with a receptive community, national marine facilities need to shout about the quiet achievements of their research collaborators, communicate the impact they are generating and engage across all audience segments by developing programs, activities and content to meet the specific information needs of each.
The Marine National Faculty Outreach Program
The Marine National Faculty Outreach Program (MNF) has sought to strategically engage with the community about marine science, identifying audience segments and developing programs, activities, and content to meet their specific information needs (Figure 1). These activities are consolidated in the MNF Outreach Program, which focuses on increasing scientific literacy through experiential learning opportunities rather than simply addressing knowledge deficits. Commencing in 2016, the program is centred around three specific audience segments.
A map of activities undertaken can be seen in Figure 2.
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Figure 1: Audience map of the MNF Outreach Program
Figure 1 is entitled ‘Audience map of the MNF Outreach Program’. There are 3 sections on the graph, each grouped in a quadrant according to axis location. The vertical axis is labelled ‘priority’, beginning at low at the 0-point of the graph and progressing to high. The horizontal axis is labelled ‘information needs’, beginning at simple at the 0-point of the graph and progressing to complex. There are 3 sections denoted by colour, section 1 is green and includes ‘Purpose Seekers’, section 2 is blue and includes ‘Nurturers’ and section 3 is yellow and includes ’Lifelong Learners’, each section inclusion is detailed below.
Section 1
Section 1 identifies 3 elements in the ‘high priority’, ‘simple information needs’ category, including ‘live crosses’, ‘ship open days’, and ‘social media – Instagram and Facebook’. This section also identifies 2 elements in the ‘high priority’, ‘moderate complexity information needs’ category, including ‘Indigenous Time at Sea Scholarship’, and ‘CAPSTAN sea training program’.
Section 2
Section 2 identifies 2 elements in the ‘moderate priority’, ‘simple information needs’ category, including ‘Live crosses’, and ‘Social media – Instagram and Facebook’. 2 elements in the ‘moderate priority’, ‘moderate information needs’ category, including ‘Floating classrooms’, and ‘Educator on Board’.
Section 3
Section 3 identifies 3 elements in the ‘moderate to low priority’, ‘moderate information needs’ category, including ‘Ship open days’, ‘Media’, and ‘Social Media – Twitter’.
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Further Reading
For more information on Ocean Outreach in Australia, explore “Ocean Outreach in Australia: How a National Research Facility is Engaging with Community to Improve Scientific Literacy”.
Text, Figures and their associated captions are from “Ocean Outreach in Australia: How a National Research Facility is Engaging with Community to Improve Scientific Literacy” by Benjamin Arthur, Donna Roberts, Ben Rae, Matthew Marrison, Hannah McCleary, April Abbott, and Barbara Musso, © 2021 and published in Science and Environmental Communication, a section of the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science. This work is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Activity: Test your Knowledge
Test your knowledge in the quiz below:
Activity Text Version
Activity: Test your Knowledge
This exercise invites readers to answer questions to test their knowledge, based on the Ocean Outreach in Australia information above. Questions and answers are listed below.
Question 1
Which of the following are examples of ocean outreach being conducted in Australia? Select all that apply from:
- Ship open days
- Social media such s Instagram and twitter
- Live crosses to places like Antarctica and the Great Barrier Reef
- Education on board activities
Answers to question 1
- Ship open days
- Social media such s Instagram and twitter
- Live crosses to places like Antarctica and the Great Barrier Reef
- Education on board activities
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