ASLO StoryTellers: Getting Out of the Convention Center

Getting out of the Convention Center. Meeting real community members. Discovering a local educational resource in a mall. Sharing our research interests with kids. Meeting aquatic scientists from other parts of the world studying very different things. This was a part of what attending the Aquatic Sciences Meeting meant to several meeting attendees. How is this possible? In the third installment of the ASLO StoryTellers program and in partnership with EcoExploratorio, the Museum of Science in Puerto Rico, 12 aquatic scientists (undergraduate and graduate students, early career, and senior scientists from six countries) ventured out to the largest mall in the Caribbean to read children's books to interested mall-goers. As it turns out, our mostly high school audience was more interested in hearing about research and asking questions so we did not end up reading the books…although we showed them some of the illustrations to enhance our research stories (Fig. 1). On February 27th at ASM 2019, I met five fellow StoryTellers at the registration desk, we all jumped in my rental car, and we ventured out together to find EcoExploratio in the Plaza Las Americas (its temporary home until a permanent location near the Convention Center can be built) and a wonderful exhibit on ocean sciences. Henrik Rivera (team leader, ExoExploratorio) greeted us warmly noting that an opportunity for EcoExploratorio visitors to talk directly with aquatic scientists was rare and wonderful. The high school students spoke Spanish and understood and spoke English to varying degrees. One of our scientists spoke both English and Spanish, so, along with Henrick, she helped translate our stories. For the next hour, we explored topics of lake cores, elephant seals, tide pools, and plankton (Figs. 2 and 3). Six more of our colleagues repeated this experience the next day discussing marine pollution, microplastics, and climate change (Fig. 4). In 2016 in New Orleans and 2017 in Honolulu, ASLO StoryTellers found a younger audience at public libraries who loved listening to the book readings. In every case, ASLO members enjoyed their interactions with the public, found new ways to tell their stories, and met fellow ASLO members they were not likely to meet in other ways. ASLO StoryTellers is a product of the ASLO Outreach Subcommittee, which was thinking of ways that aquatic scientists traveling from all around the world could have an impact on the communities around and outside the Convention Center where the formal meeting was being conducted. A set of 20 children's books were reviewed and made our “recommended” list (on the ASLO website under “Outreach”) as books that appropriately communicated aquatic science through stories and illustrations to children ages 3–18. The Outreach Committee works with the local meeting committee to identify appropriate venues near the Convention Center and advertises the opportunity to meeting registrants. The books are purchased and donated to the partnering organizations. ASLO StoryTellers will be added to the ASLO Meeting Manual so that the program will be built into every ASLO meeting wherever in the world it is held. While it takes a little coordination, the ASLO members and public participants find the interactions exciting, unique, and valuable. It also breaks up the monotony of all those 12-min talks ☺. The ASLO outreach subcommittee is working with book authors to allow ASLO members to read and translate their books into many languages. These readings can be videotaped and shared on the ASLO YouTube Channel. Stay tuned for this opportunity and opportunities to tell stories at the next ASLO meeting! Thank you to all who participated: Trevor Browning, Dante Capone, Julie Chase, Bob Chen, Adeola Hammed, Mariana Hill-Cruz, Kelly Hollingshead, Beth Hundey, Josette McLean, Suzanne Neuer, Ngozi Oguguah, and Chigozie Oramadike.