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Causing a CommOCEAN even in a pandemic

The 4th CommOCEAN international conference, held on 1 and 2 December 2020 as a virtual event online due to travel restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, was a great success with participants from all over the globe. The conference proceedings and recordings of the sessions are now available to experience again the fascinating work done in marine science communication.

The 4th International Marine Science Communication Conference (CommOCEAN 2020), organized by the European Marine Board Communication Panel (EMBCP), was hosted by the Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences (Institute of Oceanology PAN, Poland). The 2 full day programme of the conference was divided into plenary and breakout sessions, workshops and a Show and Tell exhibition. A total of 45 presentations were made and despite the virtual meeting limitations, the conference still attracted presenters and workshop facilitators, who made hands-on exercises in current science communication skills for disseminating ocean research and technology, with plenty of expertise-sharing, social interaction and fascinating marine science along the way.

This edition of the CommOCEAN is completed with the conference proceedings, which includes the conference compendium and provides a summary of all presentations as well as the results of the online feedback questionnaire, circulated at the end of the conference. This book is the first of the series, which we plan to produce after each of the subsequent CommOCEAN conferences. In addition, the recordings of the sessions are available at the brand new CommOCEAN YouTube channel.

CommOCEAN is dedicated mostly, but not exclusively, to communicators working in marine institutes, governmental bodies and NGO’s, and marine scientists looking to develop skills in modern ocean science communication, wherever in the world they are working. CommOCEAN is a prime example of key initiatives for dissemination, outreach and communication of scientific knowledge, which is especially important since today’s society, needs social inclusion, which is an integral part of environmental protection and sustainable development.

As stated in the feedback received, the majority of the participants would prefer to meet in person, and so, we certainly hope that the 2022 edition of CommOCEAN will provide us with such an opportunity. We hope to see you in person in 2022.

The CommOCEAN 2020 organizing team.

More information on CommOCEAN conferences. CommOCEAN 2020 follows on from the first conference in Porto, Portugal in 2014, the second in Bruges, Belgium in 2016, and the third in Southampton, UK in 2018.
More information on European Marine Board Communication Panel