For a decade now, has been known to listeners of CBC Radio in Nova Scotia as the "Oceans Guy" thanks to his bi-weekly appearances on the Mainstreet program.
Now, the 蘑菇AV marine ecology researcher will be expanding on his mission to promote ocean literacy as the first person inducted into the 鈥檚 (OFI) .
It's a natural extension of Dr. Worm's radio efforts and of his work as founder and host of , a ground-breaking ocean-education platform developed in partnership with the .
Dr. Worm's role as an OFI ambassador will be in the area of ocean literacy.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 help heal the ocean unless we know what is happening there and how it affects us,鈥� says Dr. Worm. 鈥淥cean literacy is all about that, combined with an awareness of and how our choices matter to ocean health."
Dr. Worm, a Killam Research Professor, is well-known globally for his research work in marine ecology, focusing on the relationship between people and the ocean, changes in marine biodiversity, and the effects of fisheries, climate change, and other human impacts on global ocean ecosystems. He also currently leads one of OFI鈥檚 .
OFI is a powerful partnership that links ocean researchers at 蘑菇AV, Memorial University, and University of Prince Edward Island with leading national and international collaborators to deliver ocean research results and recommendations to inform government policy, community development, and industry needs. It was founded in 2016 thanks to a $94-million grant from the designed to position Canada to become a global leader in the search for safe and sustainable solutions for harnessing the world鈥檚 ocean resources.
Amplifying OFI research
Ambassadors will promote and shape OFI鈥檚 future direction, engage with other leaders, and mentor early career researchers as junior ambassadors. They will be chosen not only for their experience and reputation, but their ability to explain research in plain language.
鈥淥FI is entering its delivery phase, which means our scientists are writing papers to explain what they鈥檝e learned from the research we鈥檝e funded. It is important that the public understands what we are learning, and each one of us can play a positive role in the ocean鈥檚 health,鈥� says , OFI鈥檚 scientific director and CEO (shown on right). 鈥淏oris is the first natural choice for the role because of his long-standing engagement with both scientific exploration and public role in speaking about the incredible importance of the ocean to all of us.鈥�
One of Dr. Worm鈥檚 first tasks as OFI ambassador is overseeing future episodes of Ocean School, which will be filmed on location as scientists involved in OFI鈥檚 six new research projects are at work in the field. Ocean School is a free and interactive, engaging students and teachers in advancing ocean knowledge, exploration and inquiry. It is now used in classrooms across Canada and the world 聽
An Ocean School simulation.
鈥淭he ocean is still largely unexplored and we really want to include everyone in both the excitement of discovery and the mission of building a safe and sustainable future,鈥� says Dr. Worm. 鈥淓veryone can be part of this.鈥�
OFI is expecting to announce the appointment of more ambassadors in other specialty areas including biodiversity, technology and social science to name a few. The Ambassador program provides a more formal mechanism to recognize distinguished ocean researchers for their scientific contributions to OFI.