PARENT SESSION
Oral Session # 18: Ecology Education I: K - 12.
Presiding: J Hanowski
Tuesday, August 5. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM, SITCC Meeting Room 104.
The virtual longleaf pine forest Orlando Science Center exhibit.
Weishampel, John1, Riedel, Teresa*,2, Breedlove, John3, Waldrop, Joel4, Hughes, Charles3, Moshell, Michael4, Stapleton, Chris5, Smith, Eileen6, 1 Department of Biology, Orlando, FL, USA2 Carillon Elementary School, Oviedo, FL, USA3 Computer Science Department, Orlando, FL, USA4 Digital Media Department, Orlando, FL, USA5 Institute for Simulation and Training, Orlando, FL, USA6 Orlando Science Center, Orlando, FL, USA
ABSTRACT- A virtual longleaf pine exhibit is being constructed through the collaboration of the University of Central Florida (UCF) Geospatial Analysis and Modeling of Ecological Systems (GAMES) Lab, the Consortium for Research and Education in the Arts and Technology (CREAT) program, and the Orlando Science Center (OSC). UCF students are assisting with the design and construction of the virtual world and will participate in the implementation and evaluation of the long-term exhibit. Two adjacent longleaf pine forests have been simulated. One demonstrating fire exclusion, and the other, prescribed burning are juxtaposed. A virtual crane operates in the middle allowing visitors to maneuver through the forests in three dimensions. The educational objectives of the virtual reality longleaf pine forest are designed to support specific Florida Sunshine State Standards and objectives defined by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Project 2061: Science For All Americans. The general topics addressed in concert with the Sunshine State Standards include: the nature of science, processes of life, and environment and organism interactions. Those related to the AAAS objectives include: the diversity of life, the interdependence of life, and the flow of matter and energy. Through this immersive exhibit, visitors will be engaged in an active, discovery approach learning experience focusing on how living things interact with their environment. One specific objective is to understand the role of fire in maintaining species diversity in this threatened, forested system. Curricula and lesson plans for the virtual forest are being designed with levels of experience appropriate for K-12 students.
Key words: Longleaf pine, Virtual reality, Ecological education, Science Center