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A photo of me talking to a group of people about IODP Expedition 382 and our science

Provenance: Marlo Garnsworthy
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Me speaking to the public

Submitted by Marlo Garnsworthy.

Image Description: I have found public speaking about my Antarctic research cruises very effective as an engagement and educational tool. (Ship-to-shore visits were my best experience as Onboard Outreach Officer on Exp 382.) For the public, I use a multimedia approach: photographs from my cruises, reading from the illustrated book I created about Expedition 382 to explain how the Antarctic ice sheets forms and melts, animations (which I make with my collaborator Kevin Pluck), and a clear, simple explanation of coring, sampling, dating of sediments, etc., works and, most importantly, why it matters to the people I'm talking to. Since our work involves ploar melting, I often speak to people in coastal communities (from kids through adults) about how much sea-level rise they're likely to see. But I find the same approach is effective no matter where people are, espcially when they start to think about how flooded communities will cause migration of populations. They come for the Antarctic adventure and leave thinking about how climate change will impact/is impacting their homes, businesses, local infrastructure, and lives, plus ideas of what to do about it. They may never have thought about how this science matters to them, and they may not even be sure humans are responbsible for the rapid chnage in climate we are seeing, but they leave with a new understanding. In short: an exciting multi-media presentation, direct human contact and discussion, and an appeal to PERSONAL and COMMON vaules and ECONOMICS can inspire and change minds--and spur action. How do I know it works so well? I've lost count of how many people who've reached out to say that their family has changed their behavior and they're contacting their leadership to act on climate.