Prof. Alan Deidun, from the Department of Geosciences at the University of Malta, recently presented two papers at the 3rd EMSEA (European Marine Science Educators Association) conference organised by the HCMR and held at the Cretaquarium in Heraklion, Crete.
The major goal of EMSEA, founded less than five years ago, is to promote ocean literacy across Europe, with the ultimate goal of including ocean literacy principles within school curricula. Ocean literacy is based on seven over-arching principles, with an ocean literate person considered to be fully aware of the mutual impacts and influences between the ocean and humans. Conversely to the European situation, ocean literacy in the US traces its origins back to 1976 with the founding of the NMEA (National Marine Educators Association).
Prof. Deidun has spearheaded numerous ocean literacy initiatives on the Maltese Islands, namely the opening of the first ever marine environmental education centre at Dwejra, Gozo, in March 2013, as part of the PANACEA project, coordination of the Spot the Jellyfish citizen science campaign, the organisation of numerous screenings of the PANACEA underwater documentaries (available also on youtube) and the launch of the MED-JELLYRISK smart phone app and jellyfish dispersion model.
Currently, he is collaborating with the Malta National Aquarium within the PERSEUS@School initiative, through which a Maltese student has been selected to act as PERSEUS Ambassador for Malta and deliver a presentation at the European Parliament on 10 December in the presence of different MEP’s, through financial support from the PERSEUS project.