Introduction
In its second decade plan, IR pledged its commitment to education outreach: reaching out to audiences outside of the scientific community. By investing the time, energy and resources necessary to build a successful E&O program, InterRidge will ensure that its message of responsible exploration and discovery of the world's deep ocean is heard by students, the future stewards of the environment worldwide; policy-makers; and other members of the general public. The hope is that reaching out, educating and motivating people to learn more about the mysteries of the deep sea - a place few will ever see in person - will engender a healthier respect for the Earth system at large.
Upcoming Events
ESOF 2008
MATE ROV Competition 2008
InterRidge Student Fellowship Program
Deadline for applications: 31 March 2008
Click here for more information
Recent Events
Education/Outreach Talk at AGU Fall Meeting 2007
From Local to Extreme Environments (FLEXE) is a project of the GLOBE earth science education program (http://www.globe.gov/fsl/html/templ.cgi?flexe&lang=en&nav=1). Through comparative protocols and online interactions with project scientists and partner schools, students will gain an understanding of local and the deep-sea environments, the interconnected Earth system, and the process of science. This project, led by Ridge 2000 and Pennsylvania State University in partnership with InterRidge, will be the focus of a talk at the AGU Fall Meeting.
ChEss Galapagos Meeting June 2007
Scientists first discovered volcanic hot vents surrounded by bizarre animals thriving in total darkness—without energy from the sun—at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean in 1977. At the end of June an international team of scientists, including many of the original explorers, will honor the 30th anniversary of the landmark discovery at a special meeting and public event in the Galápagos Islands, located just south of the discovery site. “The discovery of hydrothermal vents—ecosystems driven by chemical energy from the seafloor rather than energy from the sun—led to a fundamental change in our understanding of life on Earth,” said Paul Tyler, co-chair of ChEss, the group holding the meeting. ChEss is one of the 14 field programs of the Census of Marine Life, a global collaboration to document the ocean’s life by 2010.
