Mr Mark Dalio and Professor Vincent Pieribone, OceanX Co-CEOs,
Mr Ray Dalio, OceanX Co-Founder and Advisor,
1.A good morning to everybody. I have heard so much about the OceanXplorer and am excited to finally be on board.
2.The oceans cover 70 percent of the Earth’s surface. It sustains life, supports trade and regulates our climate, yet much of it remains unexplored. As advances in science and technology create opportunities in ocean discovery and the blue economy, initiatives like OceanX help us to understand our oceans and inspire action to protect them.
3.So this year’s OceanX Summit theme, “New Frontiers. New Ocean Futures”, is especially meaningful. Over the past few days, the OceanX Summit has brought scientists, innovators and educators together to explore our oceans’ future.
4.This morning, I would like to focus on an important part of that future – our students, in whom we must nurture a spirit of stewardship for our natural heritage; the ability to identify and solve difficult problems; and the can-do spirit to take on hard challenges and make an impact. This is especially so in an increasingly uncertain world and challenging environment globally.
Learning through Ocean Exploration
5.The efforts of OceanX are very much aligned with the goals that I have just mentioned.
6.Here in Singapore, OceanX has worked with the Ministry of Education and the Science Centre Board since 2024 on student programmes, as well as professional development for educators, and I thank you for the partnership.
7.To date, I understand that more than 570 students and educators have toured the OceanXplorer, learning about your research technologies and your media capabilities, and hearing directly from the crew. Hundreds more from our schools and higher learning institutes have participated in ship-to-shore livestreams during OceanX’s scientific expeditions. These experiences bring science to life, inspiring our students and building their understanding of the ocean’s importance.
8.Exposure to ocean exploration efforts also helps our students to grow in other ways. For example, understanding the importance of teamwork, particularly across different disciplines, different cultures, different nationalities and even different generations.
9.Learning how to solve many of our problems today requires drawing upon a range of disciplines, having the attitude of wanting to work together with people with different skillsets, and the humility to participate as a team so that you get more than the sum of the individual parts.
10.Research expeditions bring together many professionals. For example, marine scientists and engineers use robotics and imaging to explore difficult-to-reach parts of the ocean while data specialists make sense of complex datasets with technologies like AI that allow you to mine the data more deeply.
11.Educators work with communications professionals to bring the voyage to life for our students and our audiences. Imagine the wonder when our students see research in action, exploring unchartered waters, and making discoveries new to science. These are concepts that help to bring science to life for our young students.
12.Progress in research and outreach depends on how well all of these professionals and educators work together.
13.By seeing these efforts, our students can also discover how the knowledge they pick up in the classroom and the laboratory can be applied in the real world and to achieve breakthrough.
14.For example, a computer science student may see how data science supports marine research. An engineering student may see technologies built for extreme environments put to the ultimate test, while a media student may learn how complex scientific discoveries can be translated into stories that inspire wider audiences and the effort it takes to turn complex science into something that everyday people can understand and relate to.
Preparing Our Students for a Changing World
15.These learning outcomes are important for our students, because they are growing up in a world where technologies are advancing rapidly and information is increasingly accessible.
16.We must prepare all our students for these changes, first, by building strong foundations that prepare them to thrive in the future.
17.Literacy, numeracy and deep disciplinary knowledge remain important. At the same time, our students must also develop skills such as critical thinking, communication and collaboration, and the curiosity to keep learning throughout their lives.
18.Second, our students must learn how to connect and apply what they know.
19.They need opportunities to apply knowledge in unfamiliar settings, be able to collaborate across disciplines, and exercise judgement when answers may not be immediately clear.
20.And of course, the role of the teacher then transforms: from didactic teaching, lecturing, and pushing knowledge down, to one in which they walk alongside their students, explore with them, leave questions for them to discover and answer, and teach sometimes by withholding information and giving them the opportunity to grapple, tussle, fret, and then learn more deeply.
21.Now, preparing the next generation for an increasingly uncertain future requires a significant collective effort.
22.Our schools seek to prepare our students and provide the foundation for learning, while community and industry partners like OceanX enrich learning through access to expertise and authentic real-world settings.
23.And whilst industry provides tremendous opportunities, a platform like OceanX, where you are exploring the deep seas, can add that additional opportunity to light the fire of curiosity.
24.To conclude, allow me to thank OceanX for opening the OceanXplorer and your expeditions to our students and our educators, and my colleagues from our educational institutions and Science Centre Board, for helping to make these learning experiences happen.
25.Together, we can nurture our next generation to chart new paths, expand frontiers, and embrace a spirit of stewardship across different nations towards our oceans.
26.Thank you.