Christina Sciabarra has $1,000 and the beginnings of a plan to infiltrate the plant world.
Sciabarra, who teaches political science at Bellevue College near Seattle, will explore how native flora has been impacted by climate change through 360-degree video, an immersive format that brings the viewer up close and personal with the subject.
She received a small grant from the college for the project, part of a larger sum awarded by the National Science Foundation to help the college create an extended reality educational network in the Pacific Northwest.
Extended reality is the umbrella term for all perception-altering technologies, including anything from corrective lenses to full-blown virtual reality headsets. Scientists have embraced extended reality to practice surgical techniques, develop new methods for treating mental health disorders and study the universe.
Now scientists are also using extended reality to drive home the consequences of a warming world. The specifics of Sciabarra’s project are still coming together, but she knows what she wants viewers to feel when they see the finished product: “empathy and activation around climate change.”
The educator envisions video shot from ground level, giving a “bug’s eye view” of plants. The viewer could move around amongst roots and stems, listening to audio clips explaining the impact of climate change.
The college received $749,543 last year to develop its extended reality initiative. This was the first cycle of $1,000 “microgrants” available to faculty members at collaborating institutions. Three of the 10 awardees teach at Bellevue College and the remaining seven are at partner institutions.
“We are focused on bringing people together, sharing resources and building community,” said Drew Stone, coordinator of the extended reality lab at Bellevue College. Because they aren’t competing with institutions like MIT and Stanford, Stone said they get to be a bit more creative.
Bellevue College launched its extended reality lab in 2017 while hosting Tasmanian immersive technology expert James Riggall as a Fulbright scholar-in-residence. Riggall co-taught the college’s first course on virtual reality and remains involved with the lab. He also introduced Sciabarra to 360-degree video with “Clouds Over Sidra,” a virtual reality film produced by the United Nations to bring viewers inside a Syrian refugee camp.
“I’ve watched tons of footage, tons of news,” Sciabarra said, “but nothing was as affecting as that immersive experience.” She began exploring how extended reality could augment her own teaching, which includes leading the school’s Climate Justice Project.
Last November, Bellevue College hosted a native plant workshop led by a member of the Snohomish Tribe of Indians. Attendees learned about and planted camas, a traditional food for Indigenous tribes in the region that is now threatened or endangered in many areas. Sciabarra envisions her project featuring similar material presented in different mediums.
This month Sciabarra is traveling to Peru to meet with members of Indigenous groups to learn how their communities are being impacted by climate change. She’ll shoot video footage of plants in various settings and record audio from the conversations to practice putting the pieces together.
Sciabarra will use video equipment from Bellevue College and her microgrant will go towards miscellaneous expenses, which will likely exceed $1,000.
Sciabarra believes that immersive technology like 360-degree video is “the future of education.” She doesn’t expect to master the skills but wants to provide her students with engaging and effective material.
“The reality is, I would do this anyways,” Sciabarra said. “Even without the grants.”
https://ift.tt/dOAGlBx September 20, 2024 at 02:00PM GeekWire
Post a Comment
0Comments