Finding Plankton: A Marine Science Scavenger Hunt for Local Communities

At a time of increasing political polarization and rapidly accelerating climate change, it is important to build public knowledge and empathy toward nature to foster behavioral changes; however, addressing a knowledge deficit can be insufficient to affect these changes. To leverage the intersection of science, art, and intergenerational learning to move toward such outcomes, we describe here a multi‐part public outreach initiative. Briefly, this initiative was designed to build community knowledge and empathy with the ocean while encouraging curiosity and enjoyment in science learning. This involved interactive tabling at the local farmers market, as well as a marine biology‐themed scavenger hunt through which participants collected plankton‐themed trading cards from local businesses. Through the scavenger hunt, families learned about various plankton groups in coastal Georgia, resulting in approximately 256 participating individuals in one month. The activity was accessible across age groups, gamified science learning, and enhanced intergenerational learning. We believe such activities could be more broadly applicable, and so also provide recommendations for orchestrating similar science communication campaigns. Such marine‐focused education is particularly important in landlocked cities where interactions with the ocean may be limited, and can hopefully instill an ongoing interest in marine sciences and empathy for ocean conservation efforts.