3D Visualization Tools For Enhancing Awareness, Understanding, And Stewardship Of Freshwater Ecosystems

加州大学戴维斯分校太浩环境研究中心（TERC），加州大学戴维斯分校W.M.凯克地球科学主动可视化中心（EQUIKCAVES），ECHO湖水族馆和科学中心（ECHO），加州大学伯克利分校劳伦斯科学大厅（LHS），和学习创新研究所（ILI）将研究如何通过使用沉浸式三维（3-D），最有效地利用3-D可视化来提高公众对淡水湖生态系统和地球科学过程的理解。湖泊和流域过程的可视化，辅以桌面科学活动站。两个标志性的湖泊将是本研究的重点：加州和内华达州的太浩湖，以及佛蒙特州和纽约的尚普兰湖，产品很容易转移到其他淡水系统和教育场所。PI将汇总和分享有关如何有效利用3D技术和科学数据的知识，以支持沉浸式3D可视化的学习，以及如何结合其他实践材料，以最有效地支持访问者学习物理，生物和地球化学过程和系统。该项目将被构造为在并行和交错开发中迭代地测试、设计和实现3D可视化。公众将参与水质和生态系统健康背后的科学;湖泊形成;湖泊食物网;天气和气候;以及人对生态系统的作用和影响。将设计和开发一套关于淡水生态系统的公开学习资源，包括沉浸式三维可视化;带有多媒体的便携式科学站;讲解员培训主持人指南;以及开发人员手册，以便今后提供非正式科学教育场所。项目合作伙伴分为五个小组：1）内容准备和审查：准备和创作内容，包括编写故事板，叙述和活动; 2）3-D科学可视化：使用空间数据创建可视化产品; 3）科学站：计划，设计和制作实践材料; 4）网站和多媒体：为专业和公众观众制作传播策略; 4）评价：对三维可视化和科学活动站进行前端、形成性和总结性评估。总结性评价将采用定性和定量相结合的混合方法，包括重点小组、半结构化访谈、网络调查和深入访谈。利用3-D工具，高质量的视觉显示，动手活动和多媒体资源，大学的科学家将与非正式的科学教育专业人员合作，将该项目的覆盖面和影响力扩展到40万观众，包括家庭，青年，学校实地考察团体和游客。该项目将实施，评估和传播有关如何设计和配置3D可视化和技术的知识，以有效支持游客参与和学习物理，生物和地球化学过程和系统，并将评估如何将这些技术更广泛地转移到其他非正式科学场所和学校，以促进这些关键STEM领域的未来职业和劳动力发展。

The University of California, Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC), UC Davis W.M. Keck Center for Active Visualization in the Earth Sciences (KeckCAVES), ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center (ECHO), UC Berkeley Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS), and the Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI) will study how 3-D visualizations can most effectively be used to improve general public understanding of freshwater lake ecosystems and Earth science processes through the use of immersive three-dimensional (3-D) visualizations of lake and watershed processes, supplemented by tabletop science activity stations. Two iconic lakes will be the focus of this study: Lake Tahoe in California and Nevada, and Lake Champlain in Vermont and New York, with products readily transferable to other freshwater systems and education venues. The PI will aggregate and share knowledge about how to effectively utilize 3-D technologies and scientific data to support learning from immersive 3-D visualizations, and how other hands-on materials can be combined to most effectively support visitor learning about physical, biological and geochemical processes and systems. The project will be structured to iteratively test, design, and implement 3-D visualizations in both concurrent and staggered development. The public will be engaged in the science behind water quality and ecosystem health; lake formation; lake foodwebs; weather and climate; and the role and impact of people on the ecosystem. A suite of publicly available learning resources will be designed and developed on freshwater ecosystems, including immersive 3-D visualizations; portable science stations with multimedia; a facilitator's guide for docent training; and a Developer's Manual to allow future informal science education venues. Project partners are organized into five teams: 1) Content Preparation and Review: prepare and author content including writing of storyboards, narratives, and activities; 2) 3-D Scientific Visualizations: create visualization products using spatial data; 3) Science Station: plan, design, and produce hands-on materials; 4) Website and Multimedia: produce a dissemination strategy for professional and public audiences; 4) Evaluation: conduct front-end, formative, and summative evaluation of both the 3-D visualizations and science activity stations. The summative evaluation will utilize a mixed methods approach, using both qualitative and quantitative methods, and will include focus groups, semi-structured interviews, web surveys, and in-depth interviews. Leveraging 3-D tools, high-quality visual displays, hands-on activities, and multimedia resources, university-based scientists will work collaboratively with informal science education professionals to extend the project's reach and impact to an audience of 400,000 visitors, including families, youth, school field trip groups, and tourists. The project will implement, evaluate, and disseminate knowledge of how 3-D visualizations and technologies can be designed and configured to effectively support visitor engagement and learning about physical, biological and geochemical processes and systems, and will evaluate how these technologies can be transferred more broadly to other informal science venues and schools for future career and workforce development in these critical STEM areas.