As Schubel Fellows, we were recently invited to attend a three day workshop at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Californina. The goal of this meeting was to develop ways of increasing public awareness of the ocean and promoting conservation through Aqurium exhibits and community outreach. Aquarium CEO Jerry Schubel (MSRC’s first dean) and Academy of Natural Sciences President Jim Baker ( a former NOAA Director) organized the meeting, which included Aquarium staff, scientists, educators, artists, and technology experts.
We began by touring the Aquarium and noting what was effective and what needed improvement. this was also the time for some fun behind-the-scenes tours. Christine helped weigh a newborn puffin and Lynn encountered some of the animals from the “Dazzling and Dangerous” (or as we overhead one little girl dub it, “Dazzling and Delicious!”) exhibit.
We then broke up into small groups, each focusing on ways of incorporating individual ocean literacy concepts into the Aquarium experience. Christine worked on improving visitors’ understanding of what an ecosystem is and conveying similarities and differences among the ecosystems portrayed throughout the Aquarium. Specific suggestions include dividing the different sections of the Aquarium into the individual ecosystems they represent (rather than into traditional galleries) can calling each exhibit a habitat. Lynn worked on ways of improving awareness of how humans impact and are impacted by the ocean. For example, it illustrate the pervasiveness of marine products inn our lives, we proposed an exhibit consisting of a shopping cart filled with various household items and a scanner that would tell visitors what marine products they contain.
A recurring theme throughout these discussions was the importance of creating engaging, interactive tools that would motivate the public to learn and care about the ocean. One of the neatest ideas developed was to create “ocean explorer missions,” or personalized trails through the Aquarium focusing on themes such as adaptation or diversity.
The two of us also stressed the need for establishing clearer entrances and exits from each “ecosystem.” We suggested providing maps, physical ocean characteristics, climate information, and other background at each entrance to orient visitors. At each exit, we proposed creating a strong conservation exhibit detailing the major issues affecting that ecosystem, strategies for overcoming these issues, and management success stories.
Jerry was very receptive to our suggestions, saying “Lynn and Christine brought energy and new insights to the world of aquariums and public ocean literacy. Their ideas helped shape the workshop report.” “On a person note, ” he added, “it was a great treat for me to meet and work with them for a few days. I will follow their careers with great interest and high expectations.” We also hope to continue our relationship with he Aquarium- this was a wonderful experience and we plan to remain involved in the Aquarium’s efforts to encourage ocean literacy.
