32 
THE CORAL TRIANGLE: HEARST BIODIVERSITY EXPEDITION 
The Outreach 
Local community outreach was embedded in the plans for the expedition from the outset. The 
goal was to have presentations, with speeimens, by Filipino and Academy seientists, as well as the 
seience edueators. The intent was to show what the scientists were doing, why this type of research 
and biodiversity are important, and how local people eould eontribute to conservation efforts. 
Presentations described a critical time with serious challenges facing the Philippines with regard to 
eonservation and climate change. Speakers also urged that it was not too late to make a difference 
— individually, as a eommunity, and at the provincial and national level. 
Teacher professional development workshops explored the same themes and added hands-on 
activities related to biodiversity, the carbon cycle, and climate change, for teachers to use in their 
elassrooms. Copies of the activities plus bibliographies were given to participants along with dig¬ 
ital links to those and other resources that could be downloaded for free. With the help of Acade¬ 
my herpetology curator Alan Leviton, we also distributed to the entire terresfrial team, their 
research partners, and government officials, pre-publication copies of a manuscript titled “Identi¬ 
fication Keys to the Species of Dangerously Venomous Snakes of Luzon and the Sea Snakes of the 
Whole Philippine Archipelago.”4 
Meg Burke and Roberta Brett, the Academy’s Senior Seience Content Specialist, were in- 
eountry five weeks; changed localities 14 times; used eight different modes of transportation 
(including an exciting at-sea transfer onto the research vessel); led seven community outreach 
events with over 350 attendees including mayors and other local government ofticials, teaehers, 
students, Sea Scouts, conservationists, and interested members of the public; and led two all-day 
teacher workshops with 168 attendees. As part of the integrated model, 11 different Aeademy and 
four Filipino scientists partieipated in multiple outreach programs. 
The Media Component 
In addition to these media participants and events, the Aeademy created a website with baek- 
ground information and maps. More than 40 blogs were eventually posted by Academy expedition 
members during preparations and in the field. Rich Mooi, echinoderm specialist, leader of the 
deep-sea component and participant in the shallow-water component, also contributed four blogs 
from the field to the New York Times Scientist at Work column. During the expedition, Gosliner 
and Mooi also did a live Skype feed from the shallow-water research site, talking with and answer¬ 
ing questions from people attending one of the Academy’s weekly, Thursday night, adults-only, 
after-hours social and science evenings called NightLife, whieh proved to be the perfeet venue 
given the 15-hour time difference between California and tlie Philippines. 
There was a tremendous media buzz in the Philippines durmg the expedition, ineluding numer¬ 
ous radio and TV interviews with the researchers (both Filipino and Aeademy), aquatie biologists, 
and educators. More radio, TV and Web interviews were done when the expedition members and 
the specimens returned to the Academy. Over 900 people attended outreach events in the Philip¬ 
pines during the expedition, but there is no way of measuring how many people in the Philippines, 
the Bay Area, and beyond heard or saw the various interviews or documentaries. 
After the Expedition 
Our first evening back in Manila, we were invited to a dinner hosted by Philippine Congress¬ 
man Angelo Palmones. Expedition participants, both Filipino and American, were presented with 
eongressional medals of excellenee, acknowledging our contributions to Philippine science. We 
