The ocean is central to the future of civilization in the Asia-Pacific region, as it is globally. It physically dominates our habitat;it is a warehouse of natural resources; it is critical to the definition of our 'sense of place' as humans on the water planet, and its potentials and problems provide a common denominator which crosses political boundaries. The contributions of the ocean to our quality of life, both aesthetic and economic, are not fully understood and appreciated by many residents of the Asia-Pacific region. As a result, the resources are both underutilized and abused-the history of wise resource use and of respect for environmental values is a poor showing for humankind. Education is a powerful force for change. We cannot effectively manage something which we do not fully understand. Improved approaches to education in marine science and technology can contribute to a better future for Asia-Pacific peoples. l will take the novelty of this forum format to depart from the customary bounds of a technical presentation, providing more of an essay and excursion into a near-term vision of a better world for marine education.

　

In developed countries, the best and brightest students often do not seek out studies in marine science, ocean engineering or marine technology. Some are discouraged by the rigor and hard work required to excel, many are put off by the low pay compared to salaries available, some prefer not to undertake the long path to advanced degrees.

　

Many developing countries lack the educational institutions and other infrastructure required to adequately prepare local manpower for employment, especially in leadership positions. Residents sent outside the country find the grass is greener elsewhere and fail to retum to invest themselves in their homeland. The vacuum of personnel to staff and lead ocean industries is often filled by expatriates who stay temporarily but have little sensitivity to local customs and resources and are not genuine stakeholders in the outcomes of programs they attempt to implement.

　

Regional and intergovernmental agencies try to help developing countries through a variety of aid and technical assistance programs, usually to foster economic development through exploitation of resources (frequently marine) or to improve environmental quality. Such programs are often not comprehensive and may end up being a spotty patchwork with overlaps, gaps and contradictions. Well-intentioned staffers are often ill prepared with the reality of local situations and depart before any long-term positive benefits can result.

　

In the long term we need to be educating better leaders in the fields of marine science, ocean engineering and marine technology. We also need to improve education systems so that every citizen in the Asia-Pacific has a basic understanding of the ocean : what makes it up, how it works, why it is important, and how to take care of it for future generations.

　

We can begin to head towards the long term with some near-term innovations :

　

1. Tertiary education systems need to develop and promote more cross-disciplinary education programs. Ocean scientists, engineers and technologists need to be "socialized". That is, they need to understand that they need to be sensitized to the human significance of their work, they need to focus their talents and resources on research and development with likely benefits for society, and they need to communicate simply and frequently with the average citizen about their work and their contributions to society. Similarly, social scientists need to acquire sufficient marine science and technology backgrounds so that they can understand the scientists and engineers and so that decisions and policies can be created based on sound, accurate information. Pragmatically this result can be achieved by introducing appropriate courses to degree curricula and by offering workshops to update the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of professionals already out of school and at work.

　

2. Practical experience needs to be integrated into curricula. The transition is usually awkward from academia to industry, to government agencies and to non-governmental organizations (which are taking on a growing role in ocean issues). Students need to undertake term-long internships or projects in the "real world" off campus. They need to become familiar with the latest technologies which may not yet be available on campus. They need to be exposed to working in an environment where profit, ethics, and legal constraints may strongly impact the conduct of science and technology. They need to see how political factors affect how a regulatory agency may not be able to enforce "ideal laws". Establishing and requiring that every student's education include an immersion in an off-campus experience, under faculty guidance and for academic credit, is one strategy to achieve the result. We would be reluctant to patronize a physician who had only textbook learning. An education major who has not had "practice teaching" as part of his or her curriculum cannot enter a classroom for the first time and deliver acceptable results. Japan has set the world standard for edueation in fisheries science and technologies by incorporating significant hands-on experience in the curriculum. Many other ocean careers would benefit from an appropriate balance between didactic and experiential learning. Experience-based education provides wonderful opportunities to form partnerships in education, constructing bridges between academia and the society it serves.

　

3. Today's science and technology developments are created and implemented by teams of talented people, ranging from generalists to specialists across many disciplinary backgrounds and institutional affiliations. Often these people and their facilities are not located together physically. This requires people to collaborate who may be unable to meet face to face, but need to deal with each other electronically in two dimensions of a page of text, a computer screen or a television monitor. Students are not traditionally taught to function in this environment, but this provides an opportunity to innovate in education while preparing graduates to operate comfortably and efficiently in a new framework, powered by electronic communications. Through well-designed distance-or distributed-learning systems, the knowledge, expertise and instructional talents of people located throughout the Asia-Pacific region can be tapped to benefit those without direct access. Of course, education is a human enterprise, and we cannot abandon the personal touch of an on-site instructor who can provide local expertise, a more in-depth and tuned answer to questions, and a wealth of supervised, hands-on experiential learning to complement the electronic input. Students must develop the judgment to evaluate the veracity and applicability of web-based resources. Countries without the technology to fully utilize distributed-learning media must be provided the resources and training to acquire such access.

　

4. To attract the best and brightest students to ocean sciences, engineering and technology, the seeds must be planted early. The best short term solution is to assure that pre-college teachers-in-training as well as teachers currently in the classroom quickly become knowledgeable about the opportunities for their young charges to pursue exciting careers (based on realistic expectations) on the ocean frontier. Packaging reviews of emerging technologies and explorations for teachers in workshops, web pages, and networks of experts conversant with educators can effectively inject the importance of the ocean to our future and show potential students attractive paths. Basic chemistry, physics, biology, earth science, math and language skills can be taught around an ocean-themed curriculum.

　

5. In conjunction with planting seeds (above) , financial support can be increased for students in fields where shortages of qualified workers exist. A corollary to this is to increase the financial aid to students in underrepresented groups in marine science and technology (e. g. women, minorities) ; great talent goes untapped. Numerous social and cultural barriers must be lowered. Opportunities must be opened at all levels of education and career starting points. Professional societies must open their membership roles to students, providing realistic participation actvities, support and mentoring so that students whose interests have been piqued can be encouraged and can feel like they belong to a worthwhile and caring profession. The societies can provide student sessions at conferences, opportunities to publish, discounted fees, career guidance and employment opportunities-before and after graduation. Partner with universities to provide research opportunities to high school and college students. Help the students start and build their networks of professional contacts.

　

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