STEMSEAS as a Conduit for Furthering Science Communication and Academic Careers

STEM Student Experiences Aboard Ships (STEMSEAS) is an immersive opportunity for undergraduates of various fields, from geoscience to engineering, to be subjected to different aspects of oceanographic research at the origin of data collection: on NSF research vessels. On board, students are exposed to a myriad of subdisciplines of oceanography with hands on activities led by instructors and a graduate student mentor, aiding in opening early scientists to subdisciplines often not made accessible to explore in the classroom at their respective institutions. By living, eating, communicating with crew members, and learning from professionals in different oceanographic fields while on the ship, students gain an invaluable experience that will guide them long after departing from the vessel. Additionally, STEMSEAS and its accompanying program, A-STEP, Ambassadors for STEM Training to Enhance Participation, expose students to the role ocean science plays in climate science, global cycles, and overall environmental change. This is done through a series of inquiry-based activities using an interactive digital tool as a medium for organizing elements of the biosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere in global cycling. This leaves students with the take-home message that the ocean and its constituents are a substantial, if not overarching, factor in governing climate and the Earth systems. Such a graphic tool has high applicability to pre-college classrooms and the public to communicate these vital ideas. After experiencing life on board R/V Atlantis through the STEMSEAS program with a small group of students of various standings, the necessity of science communication through exposure for emerging scientists becomes clear. Because the accessibility to these fully immersive programs is limited, other ways to communicate science to the public and spread knowledge of oceanography in climate science—namely social media—must be utilized. STEMSEAS has reinforced my enthusiasm of being a science communicator throughout my career in the geosciences, as I plan to continuously act as an ambassador through the classroom, various meetings, and daily life through social media and blogging platforms. Through such an enveloping experience aboard R/V Atlantis, I have built upon my preexisting passion for oceanography, learned research and communication techniques to advance my academic career, and have been given the direction I and many students need for graduate school plans and beyond.