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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Let’s spell it out: cleaning communal toilets, sharing a dormitory with strangers, travel sickness, washing up for 46 people and standing in the wind and rain for hours on end are not common entries on people’s lists of favourite activities.

Yet 27 young people chose to do just that for a chance to live on ‘planet Pelican‘ for a while and experience all the good stuff that comes with it…

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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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Imagine sailing across the ocean under a vast canopy of stars and dolphins weave through bioluminescent waters below. Such breathtaking moments are more than just beautiful – they are transformative.

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One of the most rewarding aspect of my job on Pelican of London is to sit down with a group of trainees, who just obtained a bunch of data from a scientific instrument, graph it, kick ideas around to make sense of it and place it into a bigger context.

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Last year, Olivia Yorke-Dunne was our youngest ever Scientist in Residence on the sail training tall ship Pelican of London. This year, she’s been back.

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I donned the climbing harness and listened to the instructions of 1st mate Tamsin, watched trainees braver than me climbing up the ratlines, remaining undecided whether or not I should have a go.

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