Outreach

Introduction

Spreading excellence should not be limited to the scientific community. Promoting and developing interests, awareness and 'ownership' of marine biodiversity should also be focused on the non-scientist. Marine biodiversity issues are appreciated by a much wider audience than the scientific community and unfortunately experiences are generally limited, through the media, to pollution incidents e.g. the Prestige disaster, or to broader international issues e.g. coral reefs. Promoting both the network of excellence and marine biodiversity and ecosystem function to the European non-scientist will be addressed in numerous ways.

Objectives

• To develop a high profile image of the network and co-ordinate all publication and outreach activities
• To provide a forum to allow potential end users of the products of the network to direct and give feed back on the strategies and direction at regular throughout the course of the network
• To fully facilitate communication between network participants and the wider scientific and non-scientific community
• To develop and provide web based material promoting the MarBEF network and marine biodiversity issues and topics to the broader public, college student and school children
• To produce a full colour hard copy multi-lingual brochure outlining the objectives and strategy behind MarBEF.
• To produce a series of full colour branded newsletters aimed at the broader scientific and informed non-scientific community about MarBEF and marine biodiversity issues
• To produce a range of full colour poster material for distribution at conferences and workshops outlining the aims of the network and key issues in European marine biodiversity schools, museums and aquaria

Tasks

• Develop a strategy to provide a structured approach to disseminating information from the network. This will be addressed through the appointment of an outreach and publications officer who will oversee all tasks related to the dissemination within the network.
• To promote links between research, industry and other stakeholders by inviting SME's and other end-users, including SME's, to join the network in particular tasks. An E-conference will be organized to discuss the strategy
• To develop web based tools to facilitate communication within and outside the network: web site bulletin board (permanent means of communication between network members, password protected), E-conferences and mailing list server. Existing infrastructures (MARINE B-list server, MARBENA E-conference, etc) will be adopted to minimise costs.
• To develop web pages primarily for outreach
  • Marine biodiversity pages attractive and understandable for the general public.
  • Schools and college section including
    • downloadable study sheets
    • details of marine biodiversity career and study opportunities
  • Junior section with themed colourful pages
    • downloadable fact sheets
    • interactive marine biodiversity games.
  • Two reviews
    • European school curricular
    • Existing marine biodiversity web based outreach material
• The brochure will contain information about the networks' aims, ambitions, partnerships and contact details, and distributed to network and non network participants identified on the outreach section of the central register. Possibilities for multilingual sections will be studied.
• In the first 18 months three newsletters will be produced and widely distributed to the contact points on the outreach register. Beyond the first 18 months newsletters will be published bi-annually. Material will offer opportunities for researchers to publicise their work in a non-scientific format and will be in a popular magazine format (e.g. National Geographic style). The newsletter will include articles on marine biodiversity issues in Europe and beyond, details of MarBEF research projects and others, publication of student work and details of key workshops and conferences.
• A range of publicity material will be produced including a series of posters highlighting key marine biodiversity issues and promoting the network.
  • Focused on different sets of users (general public, schools, universities, NGOs, etc). Content will be developed through the publication strategy and in discussion with the end-user forum.
  • Marine biodiversity 'road shows' will be organised by the outreach officer. School and college visits, poster displays in museums, aquaria and at local marine biodiversity days.
  • Potential recipients of the 'roadshow' will be identified during the development of the outreach register.
  • Re-usuable display material will be produced outlining the aims of the network and tailored to suit the specific 'roadshow' hosts
• To prepare a pilot project for a network of primary and high schools and amateur groups situated near the coast, that would monitor specific parts of the coast and will send regularly and irregularly information/questions, pictures etc to a central node with the MarBEF website
• To create a platform for interaction between MarBEF scientists and SME's from sectors such as aquaculture, fisheries, instrument building, environmental impact assessment, chemical products