Senior Carmen Hoyt was recently featured in an episode of Xploration Awesome Planet alongside Emmy-nominated host Philippe Cousteau. The Earth and Ocean Sciences major traveled to Cancun, Mexico, in June to swim with whale sharks after winning the show’s first #StudentExplorer contest.
“Carmen is an incredible champion for conservation and the environment,” Cousteau said. “We were all thrilled to have her on the team during a once in a lifetime experience.”
Xploration Awesome Planet promotes STEM education and the benefits of exploration. Its #StudentExplorer contest solicits video entries from students fascinated by Earth exploration and science communication.
Hoyt’s winning video, in which she made her case for why swimming with whale sharks and exploring our planet is so essential for future generations, was an inspiration to those who watched it. Her entry received tens of thousands of video views from people around the world. Host Philippe Cousteau surprised Hoyt in her classroom at Duke Marine Lab with his own video announcing that she had won.
The show aired on FOX television network on Saturday, October 14th.
Senior Carmen Hoyt won the chance to dive with @pcousteau as part of a worldwide contest https://t.co/CNCe6c13z4
— Duke Environment (@DukeEnvironment) August 23, 2017
