Outreach Week

This week was a week of outreach activities at and outside of the lab. We spent yesterday testing out the BlueBoat, which may become a part of future outreach activities, and we discussed the possibility of attaching a GoPro to record field videos for future educational and outreach content. This past weekend, I supported a workforce development initiative activity in coastal Louisiana where we brought undergraduates from six universities to conduct field work, learn about how marine and coastal scientists answer questions regarding local environmental changes, and explore coastal Louisiana and its waterways. This week I also conducted three virtual classroom visits, supporting teachers and their students by answering marine biology and marine science career questions as part of the Skype A Scientist program.

Saturday, the lab will set up a station at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory Community Day, where families can learn about and interact with the USM coastal research units and laboratories through hands-on activities, games, and expeditions. While we initially considered setting up a BlueBoat obstacle course for participants to explore interesting marine technologies, our marine education center is already hosting a remotely operated vehicle exhibit, so we instead have a food web building competition for all participants.

This will be a great weekend to interface with our community and teach about the amazing work occurring at our Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. While I know many who read this blog are not local, anyone who is interested in attending can find more details here.