To kick off the day, Maura and Alberto welcomed students and introduced the purpose of the program—equipping young leaders with the knowledge and tools to drive conservation efforts. The session began with a fun introduction game using the Deep Sea Discovery card game. Each student selected a marine organism and shared its ocean depth range while their peers guessed where it might be found.

From there, students split into two groups to dive deeper into climate science and ocean processes:

🔬 One group joined Maura for a hands-on session on cloud formation with Dr. Jeramy Dedrick and Christian Pelayo. Students explored cloud seeding and the science behind atmospheric processes, tying into the climate work at Professor Lynn Russell’s lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

🌍 The other group visited Professor Ralph Keeling’s lab, where Dr. Keeling shared insights on the Keeling Curve, a fundamental dataset tracking atmospheric CO₂ levels. Students learned about the significance of long-term climate monitoring and the role of ocean processes in carbon cycling.

At the halfway point, the groups switched sessions, ensuring everyone had the opportunity to engage with both labs.