Decoding the mysteries of the ocean: SAEON Ocean Observers Workshop

By Sivuyisiwe Mbede and Moddy Pikiso, SAEON Egagasini Node Tweet

National Marine Week (NMW) is celebrated annually in the second week of October. The event is aimed at creating awareness about the marine and coastal environment.

In addition, events promoting marine conservation teach fellow South Africans about using marine resources in a sustainable manner.

This year, SAEON’s Egagasini Node held its Ocean Observers Workshop during NMW on 10 October. The workshop is an opportunity for Marine Science Work Integrated Learning students and interns to showcase oceanographic instruments that they have used for their projects to high school learners in the SAEON Egagasini Node’s education outreach programme.

The node invited six Cape Peninsula University of Technology Marine Science students to give presentations related to the oceanographic devices used for their technical instrumentation projects. The learners invited to the workshop were from Sophumelela, Usasazo and Masiphumelele high schools.

Thomas Mtontsi, the node’s science engagement officer, set the scene by explaining the objectives of the programme and sharing the importance of oceanographic instruments as well as some fun facts about the ocean.

Learners from the Egagasini Node’s education programme were given the opportunity to present their projects in a segment of the programme titled 'SAEON Kids Project Presentations'.

The engagement did not end with the project presentations; the students and Egagasini Node scientists had an opportunity to speak to the learners about their interesting journeys in Marine Science in a segment of the programme called 'Chat up a Marine Science Student with Tania Duba'. The students and scientists also shared their education history with the learners and their reasons for studying Marine Sciences .

The successful event highlighted the special relationship between technology and the ocean, while exposing the learners to different methods and technologies used to assist scientists to decode the mysteries of the ocean.