THE SIMULATOR
In September, 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration invested $3.9 million in NOAA to advance solutions in our pressing climate and resilience challenges. NOAA and the Marine Technology Society intend to partner on “ocean carbon dioxide removal technologies and real-time ocean data telemetry standards, as well as broader national priorities like ocean-driven renewable energy transformation, marine ecosystem conservation and the cultivation of the Blue Economy's future workforce.”
It is, for America's schools, another Sputnik moment.
CTE AND THE BLUE ECONOMY
Career Technical Education (CTE) organizes many of the career options that are available to students into 15 "Industry Sectors."
Take Health Science and Medical Technology for example: it includes a wide range of careers including Registered Nurse, Health Fitness Specialist, Dietician, Occupational Therapist, Radiologist, Physician, Dentist, Veterinarian Technician, among many others. Each of these career paths require different expertise and levels of education.
Here are all 15 Career Sectors for the State of California:
None of these sectors mention the ocean, so I modified the chart. Check out the list of careers you can find in the 15 Career Sectors of the Blue Economy:
KID ZANIA
Vida Azul can be an incubator for our future workforce and for driving thousands of American kids toward good jobs in the Blue Economy. But clearly, they will not be out building a city in the Pacific any time soon. They don't need to. It will take decades to design their city and they should do so-- not in a conventional classroom-- but at the water's edge: in labs, blue tech internships, aquariums, research vessels, and analog simulators.
Like other existing programs that introduce career options to students-- Junior Achievement Biz Town and KidZania-- The Vida Azul Simulator will facilitate project-based learning where students can safely confront the challenges of maritime engineering. It will connect serious students with local universities, ocean scientists, and the blue tech community. And most importantly, it will challenge our children to stretch their imaginations and find their own innovative solutions for healing our planet.
ANALOG MISSIONS
"Past generations used analog missions to prepare for leaving Earth’s atmosphere, landing on the moon, and permanently orbiting our planet. In keeping with this concept, NASA is using analog missions to actively prepare for deep space destinations, such as an asteroid or Mars."
--NASA Space Agency
Analog missions are field tests in locations that have physical similarities to the extreme space environments. NASA engineers and scientists work with government agencies, academia, and industry to gather requirements for testing in harsh environments before they are used in space. NASA utilizes multiple test facilities to simulate outer space: they include, among others, the Arizona desert, Antarctic, and Aquarius, the world's only undersea research station.
Similarly, Vida Azul envisions students completing "Analog Missions" both in the ocean and in ocean simulators:
A COMMUNITY-BASED SIMULATOR
The Blue Economy contributed more than $430 billion to the US Economy alone, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In a city that owes its very existence to its location on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, San Diego could easily create a community-based simulator to introduce students to careers in the ocean economy.
"Imagination is the source of every form of human achievement. And it's the one thing that I believe we are systematically jeopardizing in the way we educate our children and ourselves. Curiosity is the engine of achievement."
--Sir Ken Robinson
To design their underwater city, our students will become experts in design thinking. They will rely on their imagination and their research. They will experiment and push the boundaries of what we believe to be possible within the human experience. Especially when it comes to living in the ocean.
In Chapter One, "The Interview," Flora describes the students' foundational design: "Vida Azul is not only a city, it is a thriving artificial reef." A 700-acre, 3D printed reef structure made from plastics recycled right out of the ocean. It supports humans on the inside and a vast ecosystem of sea sponges, fish, harbor seals, and dolphins... all surrounded by miles of thriving kelp forests on the outside.
A 3D printed artificial reef structure built in the ocean? If you think that's not possible, check out the Texas-based company called ICON Build!
LIVING IN 3D
THE UNIVERSITY CONNECTION
Vida Azul would trigger dramatic change across any community. In San Diego, with its world class research, tech, biomedical, business, and maritime models, there is still one more critical component to engage: the universities. With thousands of high school students participating in Vida Azul, and thousands more contributing from around the world, local universities would inevitably respond. It's rare that a university evolves to support changes in the K-12 system, but students in Vida Azul would demand it.
What if all San Diego colleges and universities aligned to collaborate and support Vida Azul. For example:
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD already prepares students for work in the ocean economy, but could now equip them to circle back and continue contributing to the development of Vida Azul;
And what if...San Diego State develops an entire new division of courses around maritime engineering, as well as business courses that specifically equip students for careers in law, finance, and leadership for an underwater community;
Or The University of San Diego develops a humanities block that challenges students to wrestle with critical ethical questions around human communities moving into the ocean;
Or...Point Loma Nazarene College offers a visual arts component inspired by graduates of Vida Azul?
And what if the entire community college system specializes in preparing students for living in the ocean: from health care and education roles, to tech innovation, building trades, law enforcement, service, and recreation?
"Innovation is synonymous with risk
and somebody had to take a risk.
-Jason Ballard, Founder and CEO of ICON Build