Diversity-Centered Vessel with Telepresence for Inclusive Ocean STEM Training

Summary: Hands-on experiences are transformative for students considering career paths, particularly those that historically require being present in a location remote from the home/learning environment. A lack of opportunities to access real-world experiences undermines making progress on the development of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive blue workforce. Establishing a diversity-centered telepresence-enabled vessel will put the DE&I mission first in the conducting of research and other at-sea or shoreside ocean STEM training. Such a vessel will advance the pace of progress on systemic change in ocean science through equitable opportunity and increased access to training in ocean science while setting an example for at-sea experiences supported by structure and cultural practices purposefully created to foster an environment that devalues harassment and other marginalizing behaviors. The program will allow participants to maintain connection with their individual culture, communities, and values by allowing them to choose projects and work together with mentors and each other to plan and conduct ocean research and technology development. The program would support students both at sea and ashore to develop new blue economy skills such as data analysis, visualization, machine learning, technology, and engineering. We envision the broad inclusion of Federal agencies, academic institutions, private companies, and others to participate in the creation of experiences to facilitate skill development and career pathfinding. The success of this program would lead to an increase in the diversity of the blue economy workforce, with workers who are ocean literate and who contribute to technology-based solutions to ocean, coastal, and climate challenges, and who build trust in science and technology at the community level.

Sector: NGO, Academic infrastructure support organization
Organization: Florida Institute of Oceanography
POC: Nicole Raineault, nicoleraineault@usf.edu
Other Contacts: Monty Graham, montygraham@usf.edu; Zara Mirmalek,
mirmalek@baeri.org; Qu'Derrick Covington, qcovington@oceanleadership.org; Kristen
Yarincik, kyarincik@oceanleadership.org; Alan Leonardi, aleonardi@oceanleadership.org