On October 28th and 29th 2024, a joint workshop of School4SID and SEAmPhonia, an italian funded project dealing with the study and impacts of underwater acoustic noise, was held in Gaeta.

Video made by Damiana Biga (Medialab)

The objectives of the joint workshop were to bring together some of the actors in the acoustics project and to involve some journalists for possible inclusion of School4SID in their training courses.

The event stimulated several reflections on the relationships between science and politics, science and communication.

The first day, mainly focused on so-called “underwater noise” and the European directive (MSFD) introducing guidelines and indicators for member countries on noise pollution, highlighted the limited nature of the current scientific approach to monitoring and assessing the health of marine ecosystems. As the sea is a complex system, the analysis of the linear approach through observations of different variables to be subsequently integrated into often incomplete models has suggested the identification of emergent properties of the system as a whole. Then, some of the projects and paths that have been undertaken for years, innovative initiatives (SEAmPhonia and the joint European action S4GES) and some currently available technologies were presented.

The second day focused mainly on the relationship between the scientific community and the world of communication, particularly in the context of the School4SID project that sees the scientific method as the basis of the interface between science, decision-making and dialogue in general. The discussion mostly addressed environmental policies. The contribution of some professionals in the field of communication stimulated reflections on the role of new technologies, the value of attention and the evolution of the concept of knowledge.

At the conclusion of the workshop, the intervention of the school headmaster of the Caboto Nautical Institute highlighted the role of education since high school, especially in the marine-maritime field where the diversity of aspects involved requires constant updating and dialogue between researchers, teachers, local and national decision makers.