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THE HAMMERHEAD CAMERA’S IMAGES WILL CAPTIVATE AND IMPACT A WIDE AUDIENCE MUCH FASTER THAN EVER BEFORE. THE EMOTIONAL VALUE OF AN IMAGE IS KEY TO MOTIVATING AUDIENCES INTO ACTION.

This is an early prototype of the camera research divers will be able to use GPS to create accurate maps that can be compared point-by-point over time. Photo by Richard Vevers

“We are a moderately sized university in the smallest state of one country,” said Snyder. “We cannot solve this problem on our own. We can’t even come close to fighting the problem on our own. We have to be working as part of a larger global community to address this problem. What we can do effectively is to design, build and to make available new tools – like the Hammerhead camera – to apply to our cooperative research, testing and training programs.” The Ocean State — and its marine life — benefit from having The Ocean Agency, a globally connected ocean-dedicated organization, with its base of operations on URI’s Narragansett Bay Campus. “The Ocean Agency is an independent, nonprofit focused on accelerating support for ocean science and conservation to protect our oceans,” said Snyder. “I felt that The Ocean Agency had a very creative and visual approach to building awareness and support of environmental research – research in climate change and mitigation strategies to protect fragile ecosystems, particularly coral reefs. TOA is now in-residence on, and an integral part of,

– it can create excitement about ocean science that leads to greater support and accelerates impact,” said Vevers. “We’re very excited to be working with URI on this project as part of our UN Ocean Decade program helping to transform the image of ocean science.”

Artist rendering of the Hammerhead camera. It will offer a three-dimensional (3D) view to researchers finding ways to support healthier oceans analyzing both the sea floor and fish populations.

our university campus community.” “We’ve found that creative science

communication can do so much more than simply raise awareness about ocean issues and solutions

URI Initiative Plastics: Land to Sea SPRING | 2021 Page 59