If you didn’t realize it, you were a part of our final expedition presentations too! As the Outreach Lead and instructor of the NABOS Summer School, it was one of my goals (as part of one of the big goals of the Miami Science Museum) to take you along on the expedition, so you could learn about cutting-edge science, as it is happening in real time. At our final expedition presentation get-together, I also gave a summary of what I have been up to on the expedition. As you know if you have been following along, I have been regularly keeping up with this blog, Twitter, and Instagram, telling you about all the stories, showing you all the ridiculously cool pictures of ice (including all of us standing and working on the ice), huge pieces of equipment, the science labs, the ship itself, the polar bears (of course), and even telling you all about life onboard a research ship in the Arctic. And I have been answering all of your questions that you have posted all along the journey! But it’s not just me – I wanted the scientists onboard to share their research and thoughts with you, so they wrote and contributed blog posts, and helped me answer all of your questions! Here are some stats on the blog that we (including you) have accomplished together so far:
175+ posts
40+ posts written and contributed by scientists
21,500+ hits
1,200+ questions/comments
89 countries visited the blog
Communicating complex science to non-scientists is definitely challenging, and while I was here, I also led workshops on science communication. The Miami Science Museum is participating in Portal to the Public (a National Science Foundation-funded and Pacific Science Center-led initiative), which is a nationwide network of science centers and museums committed to working with scientists on communication strategies to share their research with the public. So during the expedition we talked about making personal connections, remembering the pleasure of finding things out, and making experiences meaningful – so that these scientists can themselves inspire the next generation of scientists! I then challenged the scientists onboard to use these strategies to develop a concept for their own hands-on activity that would help the public understand their research – which would then go back home with the scientists, and also come back home with me to Miami! Here are just a couple hints at those activities:
Armed with everything I have learned here, all of the photos, videos, stories, new potential collaborators, activities, and even water from melted Arctic ice, and from water samples taken at a depth of 1000meters, be on the lookout for some of this to appear in programs, activities, and events at the Museum soon!
Do You Plan On Going On Another Expedition? and What Was Something New That you Learned While On This Trip?
Hi Nicki, I learned so much on this trip – I learned how the equipment works that can be lowered into the ocean, all the way to the bottom, and measure things like temperature and currents, and other instruments that are placed right into the ice! I don’t have current plans for another expedition, but if you know of any, let me know, because I’d love to do it again! 🙂
Do any scientist on your vessel have any disabilities that may keep them from doing what they want to do?
Hi Kaleb, I did not see any disabilities that prevented people from doing anything that they needed to do. But I do have a story on this subject, that we can talk more about when I visit your school in person! 🙂
And the Mediterranean sea is part of a longer system of currents that plays a critical role in regulation in earths climate patterns is the artic similar to this
Dear Kaleb, currents in the world’s oceans are incredibly important all over the globe. There are Atlantic currents that travel into the Arctic, move and circulate through the Arctic to different extents, and move back into the Atlantic. Ocean currents are vital to distributing heat and energy around the globe, so it’s really important that we understand how it works!