This education and outreach effort developed scientifically vetted resources for the journalism and science-writing communities to assist in their coverage of exciting developments in deep subseafloor biosphere research. Led by the Metcalf Institute for Marine & Environmental Reporting in the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography's Office of Marine Programs, project PIs developed and disseminated explanatory media backgrounders on each of the C-DEBI research themes, including an annotated list of scientists with expertise in relevant C-DEBI-related research topics. The project also identified appropriate spokespersons and outlined options for featuring presentations by C-DEBI scientists at key professional development venues attended by science writers and journalists. The activities of this pilot project set the stage for longer-term initiatives to support further communication of C-DEBI research throughout the life of the project.
