What is an Expedition Impact Project?
What is an Expedition Impact Project?
The Seabirds Foundation is proud to offer various versions of their New Explorer Scholarship! We intend for these scholarships to open the door to ocean exploration and science for people who never imagined they belonged there.
As part of their scholarship, every Seabirds Scholar completes an Expedition Impact Project connected to their expedition with the Seabirds.
This project allows them to take something they experience, learn, wonder about, or feel during the expedition and turn it into something that reaches beyond them. That could mean creating something, exploring a question, running your own citizen science experiment, educating others, and/or bringing a new perspective back to their community, for example.
They will not be expected to figure it out alone. The Seabirds provide mentorship and support as they develop and complete their project over the year following their expedition.
Why do we ask our Scholars to do this?
For the scholar, the project gives them a chance to:
- Process and make sense of what they experience
- Explore a new interest or question
- Practice turning an idea into something real
- Build skills and experience they can use in future school, scholarship, internship, or job applications
- Gain valuable field experience with ocean science
- Share their experience with people who may never otherwise experience anything like it
- Give other people a way to connect with the ocean, science, exploration, or an idea that matters to them
- Turn their experience into something that can inform, inspire, teach, or involve other people
The goal isn't to create the biggest or most impressive project possible; it's to create something meaningful to them that then ripples out further. Think about what is something they gain from the expedition that can become something you can give to others.
Tiffany Duong
Tiffany Duong
What could my project be?
There is no required format or subject. Their project should, above all, reflect them, their interests, and what they take away from the expedition. Here are some examples:
Creative
- A zine about your expedition experience
- A photography exhibit at your local library
- Paintings inspired by the expedition, made with seawater
- A short film, video, or animation
- A piece of music or other creative work
Science & Exploration
- A citizen science experiment comparing ice shapes in different areas of the ocean
- A bioblitz documenting biodiversity in a specific section of coral reef
- An ArcGIS map showing where you traveled, with stories from each location
- A citizen science project documenting whale behavior in a sanctuary
Education & Community
- Visiting classrooms to share what you experienced
- Creating an activity or lesson for younger students
- Hosting a community event or presentation at a local library
- Creating educational materials for your school or community
Storytelling & Advocacy
- A podcast about life aboard an expedition
- A social media series sharing what you learned
- An op-ed series advocating for an issue you learned about and need to get involved with, such as reducing ship speeds around whales to avoid collisions
- A collection of stories from people you met during the expedition
A scholar's idea might be completely different, and we welcome that! We encourage our scholars to try something new and/or out of their comfort zone. This is all about exploring, learning, growing, and sharing.
Vinh Pham
What makes a good project?
Again, the strongest projects aren't necessarily the biggest or most impressive. We're looking for something that is:
Personal — It connects to something that genuinely matters to them.
Curious — It starts with a question, idea, experience, or interest they want to explore.
Achievable — It is something they can realistically complete with the time and resources available.
Meaningful — It goes beyond simply documenting that they went on an expedition.
Useful to someone else — It gives another person a reason to learn, think, feel, create, participate, or see something differently.
Also, as a note, we never require a polished proposal before the expedition. The project idea will probably change once they get on board. That's expected. They'll have new experiences, meet new people, learn new things, etc. that will all inform your interests and projects.
If you are currently applying for a scholarship, for all applications we simply want to know:
- What are you curious about?
- What would you love to create or explore?
- And who might you want to share it with?
We'll help you take it from there.
