Education and Outreach

A crinoid and deep-sea corals observed on a research expedition off Costa Rica. Image credit: ROV *SuBastian*/Schmidt Ocean Institute.

Teaching

SIO-BIC materials are widely used in teaching at UCSD, including the following undergraduate, graduate, and community courses:

SIO 87: Perspectives in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation
SIO 104/SIOG255: Paleobiology and History of Life
SIO 126: Marine Microbiology
SIO 131: Parasitology
SIO 184: Marine Invertebrates
SIO 290: Marine Biology
SIO 295S: Introduction to Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Seminar
UCSD Academic Connections (high school)
UCSD Extension School (community)

Groups from other universities, colleges, K-12 institutions, and educational programs also regularly visit the collection, borrow specimens, and host SIO-BIC staff members for off-campus lectures and classroom visits.

Birch Aquarium

SIO-BIC specimens are featured in the Expedition! gallery and at Birch Aquarium special events such as Cephalopod Celebration and the Haunted Aquarium.

Birch Aquarium summer campers and educators frequently visit the collection for tours.

SIO-BIC staff are proud to participate in public educational events at Birch Aquarium, such as Exploring Ocean STEM Careers Night and the Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series.

From 2018-2024, the Scripps Oceanographic Collections partnered with Birch Aquarium to launch the comic-inspired exhibit Oddities: Hidden Heroes of the Scripps Collections. Featuring preserved specimens, infographics about the collections, cosplay, and interpretive stations led by Birch educators, Oddities highlighted the superpower-like adaptations of real marine life and the importance of the Scripps collections.

Oddities: Hidden Heroes of the Scripps Collections.

Public Outreach

SIO-BIC inspires ocean stewardship and public interest in marine science through activities including:

Collection tours (by appointment for research/education purposes)
Presentations and special events
Answering requests for information and marine life identification
Providing photos and information for educational projects such as iNaturalist and Starry Deep Sea
Collaborations with artists, illustrators, and photographers
Outreach at sea: livestreamed video, cruise blogs, social media, and Q&A sessions

Outreach from past expeditions:

Interdisciplinary Investigation of the Pescadero Basin (2021), #PescaderoVentDiving2
- https://schmidtocean.org/cruise/interdisciplinary-investigation-of-the-pescadero-basin/
Biodiverse Borderlands of the Southern California Borderland (2021), #BiodiverseBorderlands #BiodiverseSCB
- https://schmidtocean.org/cruise/biodiverse-borderlands/
Mineral-Rich Marine Biomes (2020)
- https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/20benthic-communities/welcome.html
Illuminating Biodiversity of the Ningaloo Canyons (2020), #NingalooCanyon
- https://schmidtocean.org/cruise/illuminating-biodiversity-of-ningaloo-canyons/
Costa Rican Deep Sea Connections (2019), #CostaRicaDeep
- https://schmidtocean.org/cruise/costa-rican-deep-sea-connections/
Interdisciplinary Investigation of a New Hydrothermal Vent Field (2018), #PescaderoVentDiving
- https://schmidtocean.org/cruise/interdisciplinary-investigation-of-new-hydrothermal-vent-field/
Characterizing Venting and Seepage Along the California Coast (2018), #BackyardDeep
- https://schmidtocean.org/cruise/characterizing-venting-seepage-ca/
Methane Seeps on the Pacific Margin of Costa Rica (2017, 2018), ROC HITS
- https://www.facebook.com/roc.hits.expedition

VIDEOS

"Life in Jars" featuring Collection Manager Charlotte Seid

A Scientist's Life in 99 Seconds: Marine Biologist Greg Rouse

Introduction to the Benthic Invertebrate Collection featuring Curator Greg Rouse