9.2 Onboard and Onshore Outreach Officers
We have called attention to the incredible community it took for the drilling and scientific activities to take place on JOIDES Resolution, starting at the top with the captains and Bridge crew to the drillers, scientists and technicians (of course, we cannot forget the support from the stewards, especially in the Galley). But there is one part of the team at sea we have not yet explained – the onboard and onshore outreach officers.
Expeditions on JOIDES Resolution would typically have one or two individuals join the scientists in a role dedicated to communicating information about the current expedition. Most outreach officers would sail on the JR, but for some expeditions, there would be a supporting onshore outreach officer to connect with classrooms and the community, especially if the ship was collecting core material in nearshore waters. Outreach officers were selected through a competitive application process and had backgrounds in science, education, communication, art, or any combination of these.
Part of the outreach duties on the JR would include writing blog posts for the JOIDES Resolution blog, posting on the JR’s social media channels, and conducting live ship-to-shore video connections. Classrooms and community groups could sign up for an hour-long virtual tour of the ship, exploring the spaces, meeting the scientists, and having the opportunity to ask questions about living and working at sea. For the outreach officers, this required mastering the skill of walking around on a moving ship with an iPad or cell phone while talking to their audience, as well as ensuring the connection times matched across the global time zones.
Some outreach officers began creative projects either on their own or in collaboration with scientists on board. For example, freelance artist Kellan Moss (IODP EXP 401) completed digital and traditional artwork while on board. Her portfolio from Expedition 401 include scientist portraits and scenes of scientists and crew at work. Maryalice Yakutchik (IODP EXP 392) led her expedition scientists to author haiku to describe the collected core, then published the haiku with illustrations from Marlo Garnsworthy (Outreach Officer IODP EXP 390).
The majority of the outreach officers continued their engagement with scientific ocean drilling post-expedition. Just as the scientists continued their analyses on the recently-acquired core material, outreach officers would author classroom exercises, creative written and artistic works, and to this day continue to give presentations about their time on JOIDES Resolution. Projects of note include one completed by Onshore Outreach Officer Susan Schnur (IODP EXP 398), which is an online publication containing detailed descriptions and photos of the rock and sediment cores from Expedition 398, and a 19-quilt collection that describes Stories of the South Atlantic Ocean by Laura Guertin (IODP EXP 390).
The scientific ocean drilling program, in the past and moving forward, recognizes the essential role of ensuring that deep-sea research does not just remain within the scientific community. The knowledge and skill sets of the outreach officers allowed for the scientific objectives and work at sea to be made accessible for each specific audience the outreach officers interacted with, from elementary school students to museum visitors. Keep an eye out for the work of outreach officers that will be joining Chikyū and upcoming mission-specific platforms.
