Ocean conferences in 2024
In June, the Schmidt Ocean Institute team joined our global community in celebrating the Ocean and its critical role in our daily lives for World Ocean Month.
Research Portfolio Senior Manager Allison Miller attended the United Nations Immersed in Change Conference in Costa Rica in June. Footage from the 2023 Octopus Odyssey Expeditions, which took place in Costa Rico’s waters, was on display during the welcome ceremony, and a side session featured Falkor (too) alums sharing about the critical role science plays in creating national policies. Allison also visited the University of Costa Rica to see some of the samples collected on Falkor (too), and she met with alums to discuss how we can continue facilitating their scientific research back in the lab.
Artists continue to bring the Ocean to light in fun and engaging ways — reaching people who might otherwise not connect with deep-sea research. The French Embassy commissioned 2023 Artist-at-Sea Carlos Hiller to paint a mural in Costa Rica. France gifted the work to the government of Costa Rica’s Ministry of Culture and Youth; it unites France and Costa Rica as friends and co-hosts of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice. Hiller’s painting features the Research Vessel Falkor (too), the Remotely Operated Vehicle SuBastian, and ocean creatures observed in Costa Rican waters.
In New York, U.S., The Explorers Club hosted Frontiers in Deep Ocean Exploration. The Don Walsh Memorial program included an engaging conversation with Susan Casey, Victor Vescovo, Mandy Joye, Kelly Walsh, and our Executive Director, Jyotika Virmani. The next night, Dr. Virmani attended an Evening for the Ocean, co-hosted by Nautilus Magazine and Oceanic Global in partnership with UNESCO, Schmidt Ocean Institute, and Frost Science. She joined a panel moderated by Lea d’Auriol from Oceanic Global with John Steele from Nautilus, and Orville Schell from the Asia Society; the discussion was followed by a concert for the Ocean by City of the Sun at the Asia Society Museum. Our Artist-at-Sea collection was exhibited in the U.N. Building from June 1-16, and footage from Falkor (too) expeditions off the coast of Chile was featured on the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square.
World Ocean Day was proposed in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The U.N. designated June 8 as World Oceans Day in 2008. Since then, June has been dedicated to celebrating the Ocean and its critical role in our daily lives.
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Chapter 8 Newsletter – 2024 • Menu
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