Script/Outline: 

Intro: Brief introduction of topics

Kayleigh: “Hello and welcome to our panel talking about communication in aquaculture and aquarium sciences. We will talk about what Aquaculture and aquarium sciences (AQS) is, then we’ll cover information about what the communications major is. Finally we will talk about how the two interact and why they are important.” 

Tim: Hey my name is Tim, I’m the AQS major of the group and I became interested in the major when I saw a presentation about aquaculture in middle school. I knew that AQS was what I was going to do right then and there. When I graduate I hope to find work at an aquaculture facility

Cayden: Hello my name is Caden and I am a communications major. What really got me into this major was my love for sports and what goes on behind the camera and being able to create my own content that is sports related for teams. Like promotional videos etc. After graduation I hope to work with either a college sports team or pro teams media team.

Kayleigh: Hi my name is Kayleigh Duncan and I am Communications major in a Production Concentration. My dad was in the Film Industry so it was something that I was exposed to from a young age. I was always curious about the behind the scenes of filmmaking. Ultimately I hope to be a part of films that inspire and educate people. Communication is especially important to me because I want to become a documentary filmmaker who tells stories about wildlife and climate change. I believe powerful visual storytelling can connect people emotionally to the natural world and make complex environmental issues more understandable and urgent. 

Definitions of the Major:

Tim: Aquaculture and aquarium science focuses on raising and keeping fish and other aquatic species. These animals can either be used as food in the case of aquaculture, or ornamentation and education in the case of aquariums. 

Caden:  A Communications major is about learning how people share information through things like talking, writing, media, and social platforms. 

Why the Majors are important in the real world specific examples: 

Tim: relieving stress from overstrained fisheries.

Caden: If a big problem happens at a company, like a mistake or bad news, a communications major helps explain what’s going on in a calm, honest way so people don’t freak out. They help protect the company’s image. 

Kayleigh: Natural disasters Communication is important when dealing with natural disasters because timely communication can save lives by keeping people informed and guiding emergency responses. An example of this was Cyclone Phailin which was a massive storm, comparable in strength to Hurricane Katrina, and it was expected to cause widespread destruction. But unlike past disasters, this time, over one million people were safely evacuated before the storm made landfall. Why? Because of early warnings, accurate forecasting, and clear communication. Despite the size of the storm, the death toll was under 50, which is incredibly low compared to past disasters of similar scale. 

How the topics overlap: 

• Aquaculture gets a bad PR rap. – Tim
  • People often look down upon farm raised fish for being “unclean” and harmful to both health and the environment
  • This is untrue for many aquaculture facilities and many follow very strict guidelines
  • That stereotype still exists and working on those optics are a good application of communications
• Communicating with the public is really important for both increasing sales for aquaculture and getting people to eat more seafood in general – (Caden)
  • Aquaculture facilities are a business looking to sell fish
  • Like most companies, they need to create or grow a customer base.
  • In addition not enough people eat fish, the FDA recommends people eat fish about 2 times per week.
  • Getting that across is a great application of communications
• Communications play a large role in running an aquarium  (Kayleigh)
  • Aquariums rely a lot on guest interactions and optics in order to draw guests and to inform people about the goings on at the aquarium. Such as new exhibits and stuff happening with their animals
    • Think of when an aquarium gets a new animal like a seal, turtle, etc.
• Aquarists need to be able to communicate with the public about the animals and different issues that guests may be interested in. (Tim) 
  • Aquarists, the people who take care of the animals at an aquarium, aren’t just taking care of the animals, they also act as educators and a bridge between the viewing public, the animals, and the environment
• Aquarists also play a role in creating exhibits in the aquarium which requires a bit of graphics design and an understanding of how to communicate information to people (Caden)
• Aquariums often have the goal of building some kind of relationship between the guest and the natural world, usually to encourage interest in protecting the environment and getting that point across requires strong communications skills (Kayleigh)
  

That’s all we have for Today thanks for watching!