Tracey Bryant, MPEO Director
Would you like to learn more about the latest marine research at the University of Delaware, participate in a virtual expedition to the deep sea, or find out what publications, videos, and Web sites the University has available, on topics from sharks to coastal landscaping? The University of Delaware’s Marine Public Education Office, based at the Newark campus, can help.
Formerly known as Marine Communications, the office’s name has been changed to better reflect the staff’s role and range of activities.
“Public education is an important part of the mission of both the Graduate College of Marine Studies and the Sea Grant College Program,” says Dr. Carolyn A. Thoroughgood, dean of the college and Sea Grant director. “This office plays a critical role in translating complex scientific information and sharing it with people from all walks of life through a variety of media.”
Tracey Bryant has been appointed the office’s director. Bryant joined the college in 1984 as a media/information specialist and for the past eight years has been the marine outreach coordinator for both the College of Marine Studies and Delaware Sea Grant.
She holds a bachelor’s degree with high honors in General Arts and Science and a certificate in technical writing from the Pennsylvania State University. She also earned her master’s degree in English with a concentration in nonfiction writing and editing from Penn State, where she taught and served as acting director of the Writing Center.
She is a member of the Delaware Press Association, Society for Technical Communication, National Marine Educators Association, and Science Communication and Marine Public Information, a professional organization of public information officers from oceanographic research institutions across the United States. She currently chairs the organization’s New Media Committee, which is exploring innovative methods of marine outreach.
Bryant and her staff have won numerous state, regional, and national awards for projects ranging from books to Web sites from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Take Pride in America, Delaware Press Association, National Federation of Press Women, NOAA Sea Grant, Society for Technical Communication, and International Association of Business Communicators. The staff includes David Barczak, art director; Kari Gulbrandsen, marine outreach specialist; Pam Donnelly, production manager; and Kimberly Doucette, administrative assistant.
Recently, with support from the National Science Foundation and NOAA Sea Grant, the Marine Public Education Office has worked with UD faculty to pioneer the development of Web-based expeditions that give students and the public insight into the process of marine research and engage them in scientific discovery. This October, the public will be able to travel along via an interactive Web site as UD scientists explore super-hot hydrothermal vents over a mile deep in the Pacific Ocean.
For more information, contact the office at (302) 831-8083 or MarineCom@udel.edu.