The Physical Oceanography (PO) Unit within the Faculty of Science last week coordinated a PERSEUS@School event, with the collaboration of the Malta National Aquarium, which hosted the event, the Malta Tourism Authority and Sharklab. The event was held under the patronage of The President’s Office, with Her Excellency Marie Louise Coleiro Preca in attendance, in order to commemorate the EU Maritime Day, which this year was held on the 28^th of May in Athens, Greece, and revolved around the theme of ocean literacy.  

The event involved secondary school students hailing from three schools (Bishop’s Conservatory, Gozo; St. Ignatius, Handaq and San Andrea, Mgarr) who were chosen through a competition organised by the National Aquarium. The students were briefed by Prof. Alan Deidun from the PO Unit on the major issues hampering good environmental status of our seas and on the work being done within the PERSEUS project on such a fundamental issue. This was followed by a complimentary tour of the Aquarium and a viewing of underwater footage.

Students participating within this first ever PERSEUS@School event in Malta will be eligible to be selected as PERSEUS ‘Ambassadors’. This will entail delivering a short presentation in front of the European Parliament in Brussels this December. The PERSEUS project, within which the PO Unit is participating as a partner, will fund the travel and subsistence expenses of one student, along with an accompanying parent, to this prestigious event in December.

The PERSEUS@School Network is an initiative for schools, teachers and students who participate in Environmental Education Programmes which address the marine environment. The network will offer the opportunity to school students to study environmental issues and problems of their region and share opinions about the different ways through which young people can help to protect the historic waters of the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The PERSEUS@School initiative developed and expanded from an innovative idea to involve schools in Mediterranean and Black Sea countries in one large collaboration under the PERSEUS project. More information on how this was achieved can be found in the Action Plan.