SciComm Team OverviewTeamPublicationsLatest News As the ocean faces a growing number of threats, science communication, education, and outreach are more important than ever. MBARI’s SciComm (science communication) Team creates and shares content about MBARI’s research and technology to connect people to the ocean by inspiring curiosity and love for the ocean. By sharing stories about our ocean exploration on our website, social media platforms, and with the media, our content reaches diverse audiences across the United States and around the world. Our team is responsible for all of MBARI’s outreach efforts, handling a wide variety of tasks that go far beyond a traditional press office. We handle owned media (e.g., website, social media, newsletter, annual reports), earned media (e.g., press releases, media relations), and education efforts (e.g., internships, fellowships), and community events. We aim to make MBARI’s work more broadly accessible on a local, national, and international level, and create a culture of inclusive science communication in our communities. Our team includes members of the Video Lab, a talented group of deep-sea biologists who use VARS—a searchable video database that is a cornerstone of our outreach—to expertly annotate all the video that comes in from MBARI’s remotely operated vehicles. Together, we curate the best clips from MBARI’s more than 28,000 hours of deep-sea video so we can introduce the world to the amazing animals of the deep. The SciComm Team also works closely with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, our conservation and education partner. We help them fulfill their mission of inspiring ocean conservation by sharing MBARI’s work which is showcased in exhibitions and programs on site and with their virtual audiences online.To study the complex, four-dimensional interactions that occur beneath the water’s surface, we use acoustic technologies (often called sonar). This is a form of active acoustics, meaning we send out specific sound waves and then listen to how they reflect back, allowing us to “see” the locations and movements of animals beneath the ocean’s surface.Our lab also develops and applies new forms of active acoustic techniques and integrates established technologies into novel platforms. A big part of our work is to combine these tools with other techniques, including underwater cameras, environmental DNA (eDNA), animal tagging, and behavioral modeling.Through our efforts, we’re contributing to the understanding of how patchiness—the variability in resources over space—is critical to how animals from plankton to whales make a successful living.Connect with us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter. Animals of the Deep Meet some of our favorite denizens of the deep and learn about their adaptations to survive in an environment of frigid cold, inky darkness, and crushing pressure in our Animals of the Deep gallery. Watch the YouTube playlist. Educational resources Our team has created a variety of content and educational resources to support students interested in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) careers. Know Your Ocean Dive into topics about ocean health and learn how MBARI is advancing science and technology to study a changing ocean—from atoms to ecosystems. Broader impacts SOCCOM and GO-BGC Our team also leads the outreach efforts for the Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) project and the Global Ocean Biogeochemistry Array (GO-BGC). SciComm fellowship This two-year science communication fellowship provides a unique opportunity to report on advances in ocean science, technology, and conservation and gain real-world experience while working collaboratively with MBARI scientists, engineers, and science communicators. The fellowship is designed to provide broad exposure to the research, education, and outreach efforts at MBARI and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The fellow is part of MBARI’s SciComm Team and will also collaborate closely with Monterey Bay Aquarium’s video and content teams. Team Directory Krystle Anderson ITD Administrator & Web Specialist Megan Bassett Research Technician Cassandra Burrier Social Media Specialist Heidi Cullen Director of Communications and Strategic InitiativesDirector of Information and Technology Dissemination Madeline Go Science Communication Fellow Katie Lage Librarian Larissa Lemon Research Technician Lonny Lundsten Senior Research & Engineering Technician George I. Matsumoto Senior Education & Research Specialist Raúl Nava Science Communication & Media Relations Specialist Giovanna Sainz Research Assistant Kyra Schlining Senior Research Technician Nancy Jacobsen Stout Video Lab Manager Susan von Thun Science Communication and Content Manager Kristine Walz Senior Research Technician Projects All Projects Sorry, no results were found. Publications All Publications Maibach, E., H. Cullen, B. Placky, J. Witte, and J. Gandy. 2022. Improving public understanding of climate change by supporting weathercasters. Nature Climate Change, 12: 694–695. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01433-2 Fauville, G., S. Dupont, S. von Thun, and J. Lundin. 2014. Can Facebook be used to increase scientific literacy? A case study of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Facebook page and ocean literacy. Computers & Education, 82: 60–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.11.003 Latest News All News News MBARI technology featured in an episode of BBC Studios Natural History Unit’s landmark series Behind the Scenes 11.16.23 News Join us for the MBARI Open House on Saturday, July 29 News 07.18.23 News Annual report highlights MBARI research and technology developments News 03.22.23 News MBARI and Florida Institute of Oceanography announce new chapter for flagship research vessel News 10.19.22 News Fresh from the Deep video series provides inside look at newest ocean explorations News 07.07.22 News MBARI and Monterey Bay Aquarium bring the deep sea to land with new exhibition News 04.12.22 Technologies All Technologies Sorry, no results were found. Data All Data Sorry, no results were found.
Heidi Cullen Director of Communications and Strategic InitiativesDirector of Information and Technology Dissemination
Maibach, E., H. Cullen, B. Placky, J. Witte, and J. Gandy. 2022. Improving public understanding of climate change by supporting weathercasters. Nature Climate Change, 12: 694–695. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01433-2
Fauville, G., S. Dupont, S. von Thun, and J. Lundin. 2014. Can Facebook be used to increase scientific literacy? A case study of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Facebook page and ocean literacy. Computers & Education, 82: 60–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.11.003
News MBARI technology featured in an episode of BBC Studios Natural History Unit’s landmark series Behind the Scenes 11.16.23
News MBARI and Florida Institute of Oceanography announce new chapter for flagship research vessel News 10.19.22
News Fresh from the Deep video series provides inside look at newest ocean explorations News 07.07.22