Food Motivation: An Emerging Theme in Outreach Events

Week 2:

This week I got to attend three different events on the seacoast. I started with the Marine Docent monthly meeting at the Seacoast Science Center. I met so many docents who had fascinating life stories and gave me lots of career advice. There was an amazing sense of community among the docents (they even go snorkeling together!). Some have been volunteering for over 10 years! They brought plenty of food to share, so I just got to listen, meet people, and munch on homemade brownies. 

The next event was a symposium on cod population structure. I helped with the event logistics a little beforehand and then got to listen to the discussion during the event. It was awesome to see so many different types of knowledge come together to address an important question. Local fishermen, researchers, and policy experts were all in the same room to contribute their expertise. I learned about event logistics, which includes lots of tiny details that can really improve the experience for participants. For example, we made sure to pack up the leftover catering food (which would otherwise be thrown out) and offer it to people as they left. Some attendees were thrilled at the chance to take home some food after a long day.

The last event I attended this week was a Floating Lab for middle school students, run by the Marine Docents. Students gathered on the docks of the UNH Pier and learned about benthic creatures, water quality, plankton, mapping, and plate tectonics. They even got to climb to the top of a lighthouse at the military fort and learn about its rich history defending the coast. Most of the kids were really engaged the whole time and we were lucky that they had learned about plate tectonics (a tricky topic!) already. The docents have to prepare for the educational background of their students because sometimes a topic is brand new and way over the students’ heads. There were live specimens, models, and interactive activities at every station; it was awesome to see young students get excited about marine science. Humor also seemed to go a long way, since the students were in their very social middle school years. There was also a lovely spread of food provided by the docents...I’m noticing a theme and I like it!