VLIZ is granted by the Flemish Government to start a new educative project as a follow-up of the earlier launched ‘Expeditie Zeeleeuw’. We will soon start with the construction of the interdisciplinary project and the interactive website. Marine scientists and research groups with interest in participating in this initiative are invited to contact VLIZ.

During the last two years, the educative e-learning project ‘Expeditie Zeeleeuw’ (www.expeditiezeeleeuw.be) urged almost 2500 students to make a virtual scientific expedition in the Belgian coastal waters. Along their way, they encountered ten problems they had to solve. The class of students with the most solid and creative solutions could win a real scientific expedition in the Belgian coastal waters for one week on the research vessel ‘Zeeleeuw’. Also in 2007 the project was launched. The winning class will go for the expedition in the week after Easter holiday (16-20 April 2007).

‘Expeditie Zeeleeuw’ is an initiative of Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) in cooperation with SHE Consultancy and the Coastal Division of the Flemish Government. The project was financed by the Flemish Government, within a call to promote the outreach of scientific information towards pupils.

In 2006, the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) submitted a proposal for a worthy successor… and was successful. The new project, called ‘Planet Sea’, was selected for financing, together with 17 other projects out of 94 proposals. The project is starting from the beginning of 2008 on and is meant to enhance the knowledge of secondary school students on the sea and ocean matters. In the forthcoming year 2007, VLIZ will work hard to give shape to this new project and will take into account the build-up experience from ‘Expeditie Zeeleeuw’.

Marine scientists, research groups and others, interested in participating in this initiative are welcome to contact Jan Seys (jan.seys@vliz.be; Tel.: ++ 32 (0)59 34 21 30).