The Expedition
Galathea 3 is the largest Danish scientific expedition for more than 50 years. The aim of the expedition is to strengthen Danish scientific research, not just by virtue of the research projects that have been included in the expedition, but also in relation to the recruitment of the coming generations of research scientists. The foundations of Galathea 3 and all the educational perspectives and dissemination of information activities surrounding the expedition consist of the total of 71 research projects that will be on board when the navy surveillance vessel Vaedderen ('The Ram') sails around the World from August 2006 until April 2007. The ship has room for approximately 35 research scientists onboard, in addition to whom there will be just under a dozen journalists, photographers and TV crew members, plus a couple of students and their teacher. And then, of course, the 50-man crew, who are to keep the ship sailing, maintain the course and perform the many other tasks necessary onboard a ship that accommodates nearly 100 people. Background"Our society as it is today rests on the foundations of knowledge and technology that the efforts of scientific research have produced. The products generated by research constantly surround us as modern people. This means that we have a need for understanding and relating to scientific research, both as citizens, voters and consumers. In our modern knowledge society, science and research are closely connected with the everyday lives of all citizens. Growth in society is especially generated within the areas where research is integrated in the development of new products and services. Research often has a direct impact on people's lives, and political decisions are often conceived and argued on the basis of the findings of scientific research." This quotation derives from the report "Research and Tell", which the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation published in May 2004. The report documents that the Danes' interest in research is increasing, but nonetheless there is concern both within the industrial community and the universities: too few young people choose to make their career within natural science, and they warn that it will ultimately cost society dearly if research-based enterprises find it increasingly difficult to recruit qualified candidates in sufficient numbers. It is the opinion of politicians, educators and private enterprises that there is a need for taking the interest in natural science and the understanding of its significance to a higher level and wider circles. The effort to disseminate information on research must be strengthened. This is the recommendation that also the think tank of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation gave its support in May 2004. This is the background for sending out a research ship as a platform for relevant Danish research. At the same time, this platform must exhibit research to the people of Denmark, using the media and the Internet as a "display window". By utilising modern satellite technology, the Danes, and, not least, young Danish people still at school, are to be able quite literally to look over the shoulder of the research scientists and share their joy in the work they do. The idea of sending out a third Galathea expedition has been put forward from several quarters, not least when the new millennium, and thus the 50th anniversary of the departure of the second Galathea expedition, was approaching. However, it was the newspaper Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten that picked up the baton and developed the idea into the concept that has since developed into a broad national event and a poster project for Danish research. Vision
The aim of Galathea 3 is to strengthen Danish research, not only by virtue of the implementation of specific research projects onboard, but also in relation to the international research network of which Denmark is a part. At the same time, Galathea 3 is intended to provide a boost for the recruitment of new scientists in the future! There is thus a considerable amount of ambition as concerns education and dissemination of research information attached to the project. Galathea 3 is to enhance the Danes' perception of modern science as relevant and meaningful, and bring especially natural science research into primary and upper secondary schools in a form that appeals to a combination of adventurousness, curiosity and insight. With a direct satellite link from the expedition ship to classrooms in Denmark, it will be possible to include the research carried out on Galathea 3 actively in classroom teaching, and show the flesh and blood realities of being a research scientist. Focus on scientific research
Relevant research projects of high scientific quality provide the foundations for Galathea 3 First class research will be characterising the third Galathea expedition. Prior to the selection of the participating projects, all projects have been submitted to the independent governmental research councils, which have carried out thorough assessment, and only project proposals that received a positive assessment have made it through the eye of this needle. The final selection of the projects has been made by the Danish Expedition Foundation and received the approval of the Foundation's Board of Trustees. You may read about the process that has preceded the plan for the voyage in the box on the right. Research scientists from several Danish and some foreign universities and sector research institutions stand behind the Galathea 3 projects. Most of the projects fall within the category of natural science, but also other research areas of relevance to the places that the expedition is going to visit have found room onboard. And the expedition encompasses both sea and land based research projects. The themes on which the natural science researchers are going to focus will include biological processes, climatic changes and earthquakes. In addition, a number of classical biological projects will contribute to our actually rather limited insight into marine animal and plant life, and also the very small organisms, such as bacteria, plankton and algae, will be studied. Very modest shares of such organisms are known to science today. Similarly, the research projects within the humanities range very far, but a number of them are concentrated within the area of Galathea 3's visits to the former Danish colonies in Ghana and the West Indies. Educational perspectives
Galathea 3 dispels the notion that the world of science is dusty, dull and populated by nerds. With a direct satellite link from the expedition ship to the classrooms, it will be possible to include the research carried out on Galathea 3 actively in classroom teaching, and show the work of scientific researchers live in flesh and blood! "Many children and young people have a perception of science and research as dull, remote and uncool. There is a need for other images, which can be created by experiences demonstrating that research is founded on curiosity, experimentation and creative solutions. To put it in brief terms: the fascination with what we do not know, but would like to know more about. Research is not boring and dull. Research actually possesses all the ingredients that children and young people find exciting: riddles, mystery, heroes, colourful events, good stories, opportunities for winning great wealth and fame. It is just a question of communicating this in the right way. From their earliest days, children and young people must experience science and research as relevant, exciting and great fun. New knowledge must be an integral part of their everyday lives. This requires that we must do away with the
