Our new Oceanographers on the Island brochure is out. Click on the link to check it out.

The “Oceanographers on the Island” is an initiative that arose from the idea of promoting the ERC’s funded SHExtreme research by bringing ocean science closer to children, young people, and adults. Our research deals with extreme sea levels in the current and future climate. Although the research is complex, its themes and main ideas – concerning the Earth, the sea, waves, floods and winds – are easily visualized by the public.

We engage with children and youth through thematic workshops, ocean-themed games, and quizzes. In our workshops, through discussion, hands-on experiments, and creative expression children learn about processes in the ocean: sea level rise, flooding, beach erosion, effects of physical processes on marine life, etc. We encourage independent thinking, creativity and teamwork and guide the children through the process of finding an answer to a particular question rather than providing them with a ready-made solution.

We reach out to adults by giving talks in the relaxed atmosphere of cafés, followed by lively discussions, and by holding pub quizzes on the ocean. We consider climate change with all our audiences and help them visualize it through discussion, experiments, and creative representations of the possible worlds of tomorrow. We focus on ”what you can do to make a difference?”

Originally, the initiative focused on the Croatian islands (hence the name!), which are usually neglected with respect to the STEAM activities. Nowadays the “Oceanographers on the Island” are a recognized brand when it comes to ocean education in Croatia, both on the islands and on the mainland, and even beyond – we were recently selected to present our research at the ERC-funded Science is Wonderful! Science Fair in Brussels. Over the last three years, we have visited more than 20 locations and carried out more than 40 activities involving 500-1000 people. We plan to be even more diligent in the future in our efforts to bring ocean science to the public.