Learn About Efforts to Protect High Seas at Free, Public Seminar



A project that aims to get people invested in the future of the Earth’s international waters will soon visit UT Dallas for an educational event open to the University and local community.

Ghislaine Maxwell

On Nov. 19, the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and the Teacher Development Center will host a Seminar for LifeLong Learners: Advancing a Platform for Transformation of the High Seas.

Ghislaine Maxwell, a businesswoman and maritime explorer, will share her adventures on the high seas and how they led to the creation of the TerraMar Project.

Maxwell, founder and president of the TerraMar Project, will highlight the latest ocean reports and news, the challenges threatening the oceans and the future of global ocean management. Maxwell has spent much of the last decade investigating problems that plague international waters and participating in marine and archeological expeditions.

The Web-based nonprofit is building a global community to conserve and protect the oceans. The project also is raising awareness about the oceans through ocean-specific Sustainable Development Goals and representation at the United Nations.

“As a university, we have a duty to educate our community about real-world issues,” said Dr. George Fair, dean of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies. “The goal of hosting this event is to engage as many people as possible in this opportunity to be better informed.”

Dr. George Fair

The School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences also are financially supporting the TerraMar event. While at UT Dallas, Maxwell will engage in roundtable discussions with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) educators and various researchers from across the campus.

The McDermott Library created an interdisciplinary exhibit about the deep sea, preservation and politics, which was on display last month.

"The TerraMar Project gives people of all ages and roles a way to become attached to and personally involved with what happens to the oceans,” said Dr. Rebekah Nix, a senior lecturer in the Teacher Development Center. “This cross-cutting, real-world story is rare in my experience and could catalyze positive change at many levels.”

Nix implemented the Seminar for Lifelong Learners in fall 2002 as part of a two-year professional development program funded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. This is the first seminar of its kind to be held at UT Dallas in several years.

Advancing a Platform for Transformation of the High Seas Location: Clark Center auditorium.

Reception: 5 – 5:45 p.m.

Presentation: 6 – 7 p.m., followed by Q-and-A.

Tickets: Free and available online.

Maxwell also will speak at the Texas chapter of the National Science Teachers Association’s Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST) on Nov. 20 in Dallas.

Nix said more than 7,000 Texas science teachers are expected at CAST this year, where Maxwell will provide an in-depth look at the problems plaguing the oceans and details on educational applications developed by TerraMar.

“The Informal Science Education Association of Texas and the Texas Marine Education Association have been working with us to bring TerraMar to Texas for almost a year now,” Nix said. “We at UT Dallas are happy to emphasize the many ways that non-science educators and lifelong learners can make virtually unlimited interdisciplinary connections to this important work.”

Space is limited. Tickets are free and can be obtained here. If you are unable to attend the Seminar for LifeLong Learners, the event will be streamed live and archived. For more information on how to view the event online, visit Nix’s website.