Challenging Habitat

Mauricio is one of those multi-talented young people who just excel at whatever they do – whether that’s coaching children on Capoeira skills, analytical chemistry, working as corporate receptionist or marine biology! He has volunteered as Scientist in Residence on the sail training tall ship Pelican of London and has become one of her ambassadors.

Here, Mauricio writes a guest blog for Challenging Habitat that showcases two separate worlds of science communication: with fellow scientists and with the public. The latter is becoming increasingly important as much of what scientists do is funded by the public purse – i.e. you and me – and taxpayers have a right to know how their money is spent.

So, whoever you are, I invite you to dive into Mau’s world of marine biology – case study Australia’s Super Corals!

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The ROV is deployed and we’re watching the seabed habitat in real time. Seaweed…a crab…a glimpse of a fish… What if we could find out what animals are actually living in the sea beneath the waves?

We can and we did!

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To me, life is about curiosity and learning and growing. I love talking and working with people who have different backgrounds and expertises, because there is always the potential for a surprise, a fact, a story, a new understanding …

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Growing (up) is all about exploring and once more, sail training on board the tall ship Pelican of London proved to be an excellent vehicle for both, exploring self and the world and finding out how we deal with challenges along the way …

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When, in May 2025, the UK Met Office reported that “Northwest European waters are currently experiencing an extreme marine heatwave“, the yachting community in Plymouth had been talking about worsening fouling on their boats for weeks.

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When I discovered that a one-inch-square piece of kelp frond is a microcosm of creatures, (once more) the enormity of the ocean and what we don’t yet know about it, dawned on me.

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Pelican of London toured three beautiful(ly interesting) parts of the British Isles this week with a crew of seasoned seafarers on board, including Neil, John and Gaz of the Kimber’s Men!

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The International Commission for the Conservation for Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) will meet in Cyprus next week. If you want to know why that’s important for sharks, mantas and rays read on…

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Scientist in Residence Mauricio Ferreira spent several weeks on the sail training tall ship Pelican of London and involved teenagers in a plankton research project that compared biodiversity in coastal waters around the Irish Sea. With the right methodology, STEM education is an amazing tool to engage young people, and Mauricio hit the spot!

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Plankton, fish, water, sand, sediment and bleach: 25 young people from Devon and Cornwall explore the marine system in a beautiful bay off Sark in the Channel Islands.

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