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doi:10.2204/iodp.pr.327.2010

Education, outreach, and communication objectives

An international team of six education, outreach, and communication (EOC) personnel sailed during Expedition 327, with leadership provided by the education director from the United States Implementing Organization (USIO) and assistance from shore-based personnel. Earlier full-length scientific ocean drilling expeditions included a single onboard education officer who focused on a relatively small set of EOC objectives, whereas shorter expeditions or transits have included 12–18 teachers, faculty, and museum professionals who participated in shipboard activities while limited, if any, science operations were performed. The primary goals of the Expedition 327 EOC effort were to (1) connect shipboard scientific, technical, and engineering personnel with nonspecialists on shore, (2) develop K-12 curricula related to the expedition's scientific objectives and general Earth and life science topics, (3) create and distribute multimedia materials (written, photographic, video, and audio) related to expedition objectives and accomplishments, and (4) help Expedition 327 scientific personnel learn to communicate the excitement of their research and other activities to an audience of nonscientists. EOC personnel were also trained in shipboard scientific and technical tasks involving core analysis and collection of downhole data, which was helpful with core processing in the laboratories. The diverse EOC team comprised a high school physics teacher, a computer animation graduate student, an undergraduate engineering student representing Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and an artist (all from the United States) and two high school Earth and life science teachers from France selected by the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD).

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