Dr. Mickey Rogers, Ph.D.
Co-founder of Sustainable Ocean Alliance Pacific Northwest
Session 4 by Dr. Mickey Rogers – Microscopic Science to Mobilizing the Masses: A Youth-Led Approach to Deep-Sea Conservation
Dr. Mickey Rogers is an Atmospheric Chemist and Youth Ocean Leader that studies the relationship between our ocean and climate. In her talk, she will summarize a new field of airborne algae, connect ocean and climate by describing the biological pump, and highlight the global-to-local work being led by Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) including funding the United States’ first Deep Sea Conservation Festival. SOA is the world’s largest network of young ocean leaders and educates young people about ocean science and deep-sea mining, sparking grassroots movements in more than 40 countries. SOA is also mobilizing young people to value the deep sea and call for its protection through its localized Hubs. SOA Pacific Northwest, co-founded by Mickey in Washington State and Maria Cristina Alvarez Rodriguez and Genevieve Coblentz-Strong in Oregon State, has led numerous advocacy efforts including participating in the youth leadership summit at the Our Ocean Conference in Panama engaging in direct conversations with White House officials and Global Ambassadors to discuss intergenerational ocean efforts, training ocean leaders to effectively lobby during Capitol Hill Ocean Week, and planning the inaugural Deep Sea Conservation Festival (August 2024) in Seattle to bring awareness to the vitality of the deep. With a scientific approach, SOA is at the forefront of youth leadership, raising public awareness and educating stakeholders on the potential risks and uncertainties associated with deep-sea mining.
Panel Discussion – Deeper Concern: High Sea Treaty & Deep Sea Mining. The Challenges, Truth & Myth.
Panelists include Dr. Sylvia Earle, Dr. Mickey Rogers, Richard Bailey, and Audrey Tan. Moderated by Alex Rose.