Using Digital Globes to Explore the Deep Sea and Advance Public Literacy in Earth System Science

The Deep Sea and Me: Using a Science Center Exhibit to Promote Lasting Public Literacy and Elucidate Public Perception of the Deep Sea

“…The observed increase in visitor knowledge of the deep sea across the baseline and post-use groups, as well as the self-reported increase in knowledge from visitor interview responses, shows that the exhibit improved visitor knowledge and awareness of the deep sea. This is consistent with visitorreported knowledge gains found in Beaulieu et al's (2015) study of an exhibit focused on deep-sea vents. Deep-sea knowledge alone does not guarantee public involvement in management, but knowledge is a prerequisite to action (Steel et al, 2005;Pierce et al, 2009;Lewinsohn et al, 2015).…”

“…There is significant value in partnering with informal learning institutions to collaborate with exhibit experts and seek support from those who regularly communicate with public audiences (Beaulieu et al, 2015). Working with these professionals can ensure the development of an exhibit that is appropriate for the venue in both its content and display.…”

“…DBR involves multiple rounds of evaluation and refinement of the outreach tool to support greater in situ efficacy (Figure 1; Brown, 1992;Cobb et al, 2003). Prior research on learning in informal settings supported the creation of a deep-sea exhibit that (1) framed information in a way that is relevant, meaningful, and memorable to the public, (2) allowed multiple means of visitor interaction, and (3) was visually appealing (Sandifer, 2003;Falk and Dierking, 2013;Beaulieu et al, 2015;Hoeberechts et al, 2015). Information was locally focused to increase the salience of the science to visitors and to foster a sense of connection between visitors and the deep sea (Rowe et al, 2017).…”

“…We used this iteratively refined deep-sea exhibit at a public science center to: (1) identify ways to advance public literacy about the deep sea over the short and long-term and (2) to improve our understanding of how visitors perceive deep-sea habitats and services. This study was the first to include a followup survey a month following the visit to quantify the long-term impact of the exhibit on visitor deep-sea literacy (Borun et al, 1996;Spiegel et al, 2012;Beaulieu et al, 2015;Martin et al, 2016). The goal of this case study is to understand ways to build a more deep sea literate population capable of contributing to informed policy and management decisions (Medved and Oatley, 2000).…”