The OceanXplorer Summer Course

The program offers students a unique opportunity to be accompanied by a world-class team of educators, researchers, and experts during their journey. This team includes an **Educator in Residence (EIR) **who will create a personalized curriculum for each participant based on their passions and interests, Harvard Mentors (HM) who will provide coaching and mentorship sessions before and during the program, and a Program Leader who will lead the group in the field. This team will provide key context and insights at every destination, and lead small-group discussions on their areas of expertise, adding depth to the learning experience and bringing necessary perspective to the journey.

Days 1-6

Oslo, Norway and surroundings Our expedition starts in Norway, where our group will meet together in a secluded establishment. Per OceanX’s health and safety regulations, all students must spend six days in a mandatory quarantine prior to boarding the vessel. We seize this time for students to engage in a deep-dive workshop led by university teaching fellows for an introduction to the Science and Practice of Happiness. Based on the most popular freshman courses at both Harvard and Yale, we spend time bonding as a group while learning research-tested strategies for engaging with purpose and passion in the world around us. Envoys´highly-skilled facilitators conduct a deep dive into the students’ different interests, and bond through activities designed to make these explorers the best version of themselves. These sessions are coupled with expeditions to the Norwegian wilderness. While maintaining our quarantine status, we explore the spectacular landscape of deep fjords and cascading waterfalls, taking in the natural beauty and preparing ourselves mentally for our upcoming marine immersions. We use these days to prepare to join OceanX as a healthy, united group, ready to make the most of our once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Days 7-12

After our quarantine is complete, we have the amazing opportunity to be one of the few people in the world permitted to board the OceanXplorer, the most advanced exploration and media vessel ever built. During our six days onboard, students join a team of researchers and documentarians working to explore and observe underwater ecosystems. Capable of exploring the most unreachable places on Earth, OceanXplorer pushes the limits of discovery and broadcasts it for the world to see. The ship’s 4 labs mirror those of a state-of-the-art laboratory at leading research institutions. Their capabilities include microscopy, aquarium tanks, genetic sequencing, biofluorescent imaging, and visualization of samples from the ship’s various sensors. Thousands of feet below the surface, OceanXplorer’s deep sea vehicles work in concert to illuminate life-changing secrets hiding in the deep. Equipped with the world’s most advanced underwater cameras and Hollywood-level production capabilities, the vessel allows students to join media production experts working to reimagine the future of nature cinematography. Mixed-reality data visualization and real-time editing allows our media team to deliver short-form, episodic, and live content while at sea. The content they work with comes from cutting-edge, lowlight and high-resolution cameras carried in custom housings, including the only housing in the world capable of shooting 8k resolution at nearly 20,000 ft below the sea surface.

Disembarking and Reflection

Day 13 -14

We dock and disembark on the coast of Norway, bidding farewell to the OceanXplorer. The group spends a final night together, contemplating what we have taken away from our unique expedition. Looking ahead with ambition and intent, we start the next chapter of our lives with a new understanding of the world, using our newlyaquired knowledge to build a new and better future.