One of ACER’s missions is to provide outreach informing and educating the public at large about the current research of our scientists. The ACER Education and Outreach team hosts a variety of programs in a casual setting with the goal of communicating and translating ACER science in a straightforward and fun manner.
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Pairing up with the University of South Alabama’s Archeology Museum and their Science Café series, ACER scientists sit and chat with the public about their research. Events are held every month at Moe’s Original BBQ in downtown Mobile and are open to everyone. The event lasts as long as the conversation does (usually about an hour).
The next ACER Science Café will be held on March 14 and features ACER’s Dr. Kelly Dorgan speaking on Marine worms: the engineers of the seafloor. On April 19th, we switch venues and partners and will be sharing ACER Science at the Alchemy Tavern with the Alabama Coastal Foundation and the Mobile Green Drinks outreach program. Due to the venue, Green Drinks events are limited to those over 21 years of age.
ACER has also paired up with the DISL Estuarium to engage visitors with their Boardwalk Talk series. Boardwalk Talks are on the first and third Wednesday of the month at 11:15 a.m., on the outside deck of the Estuarium. Talks are given by ACER graduate students, post docs, technicians and researchers. The first ACER Boardwalk Talk of 2017 will be held on February 15 and will feature Post-doctoral Research Associate Corinne Tatariw.
Also coming up in April is DISL’s annual open house, Discovery Day. On April 8th, several of the ACER research labs will be open for touring and informal Q&A events. ACER will also be hosting an exhibit at the Estuarium which will be offering reduced admission as part of the celebration.
And though not in the public eye, ACER scientists and students can also be found at scientific conferences sharing our research with other experts in the field. Recently, several ACER scientists and students shared their research and outreach efforts at the MS/AL Bays and Bayous Symposium in Biloxi, and coming up is the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Ecosystem and Science Conference (February 6-9) in New Orleans. Most of the ACER team will be in attendance. A list of these recent and upcoming presentations and posters can be found on our website.
You can always see what we are up to by visiting the ACER Events page or by following ACER on Facebook.