I'm at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific entering the second full day of an oceans workshop. Here's a glance at my panel from yesterday:
Scientists and Communicators Working Together: A Panel Discussion to Identify Keys to Success. (Jerry Schubel, moderator) VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr U.S. Navy Retired, former NOAA Administrator RADM Richard West, U.S. Navy Retired, former oceanographer/navigator of the Navy, past president, Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE) Sheril Kirshenbaum, associate at Duke University and co-author with Chris Mooney; Unscientific America: How Scienctific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future Edward Maibach, professor, Department of Communications, director of Center for Climate Change Communications, George Mason University
For my part, I emphasized the importance of connecting with people aside from just feeding 'the facts', and then shared experiences from my work in research, policy, and journalism. We had a terrific discussion that could have gone on much longer than time allowed.Some more details about Aquarium of the Pacific:
The Aquarium of the Pacific's mission is to instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the Pacific Ocean, its inhabitants, and ecosystems. Our vision is to create the first aquarium, and perhaps the first institution, in the world dedicated to conserving and building Natural Capital (Nature and Nature's services) by building Social Capital (the interactions between and among peoples).
I also finally got to experience the wonders of spherecasting. Chris was right--magnificent. Now for day two...
