URI_Research_Magazine_2012-2013_Melissa-McCarthy

Humans have been fascinated by science for thousands of years. Is the Earth flat? How deep is the ocean? What kind of environmental effects will we see from climate change? But at times, the big questions get lost in a sea of confusing jargon, and without an expert translator their fascinating answers are unintelligible. Communicating science is a difficult business. In the Office of Marine Programs (OMP) at the University of Rhode Island’s (URI) Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) a team of dedicated professionals has been addressing this issue for nearly four decades. What began as an outreach arm of Rhode Island Sea Grant has since blossomed into an internationally recognized center for science communication. “We’ve really developed an international niche for communication and engagement,” said Sara Hickox, OMP director. “We work with a variety of audiences, including scientists, journalists, educators, and students, to ensure complex ideas are communicated in the best way possible.” OMP’s reputation in the field of science communication has led to its involvement as public engagement specialists in several high-profile endeavors, including most recently the Census of Marine Life. OMP’s participation in this 10-year project received $4 million from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to help meet the lofty goal of cataloging the diversity, distribution, and abundance of all living organisms in our oceans. The Census, which involved 2,700 scientists from more than 80 countries, was a huge success, leading to the identification of 6,000 new species. The Sloan Foundation was so impressed with the work of OMP that it has come back for more. Like the Census, the Deep Carbon Observatory is a

10-year initiative, and was formed to generate a detailed understanding of how much carbon there is on Earth, and how it cycles between the planet’s core, the atmosphere, and myriad living organisms. Between now and 2019, OMP will work with scientists around the world to communicate complex ideas in geology, chemistry, physics, and biology both within the scientific community and to the public. “Public engagement with the Census of Marine Life research program attained extraordinary levels thanks to the creative and tireless efforts of the team at URI, led by Sara Hickox,” noted Jesse H. Ausubel, Science Advisor, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “The program received accurate, frequent global news coverage, produced a best-selling book and award- winning film, innovated in open access publication, and contributed to improved management of marine biodiversity from the Antarctic to the Arctic.” Another major OMP program is the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting. The Institute fills a national need for improved news coverage of environmental topics by organizing year-round training opportunities for journalists from across the nation and the globe. Communicating science to the public requiresmore than journalists trained to understand the scientific method; however, scientists also need to be trained how to clearly convey their research to the public. Recognizing this fact, Metcalf Institute, with support from RI NSF EPSCoR, provides training, support, and a variety of outreach opportunities for faculty, research staff, and graduate students throughout the state. Metcalf Institute also offers URI faculty a novel mechanism for satisfying the broader impacts requirements of federal granting agencies such as

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