Phytopia: Showcasing Tiny Ocean Life in a Multimedia Environment

Bigelow Laboratory For Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay ME

Investigators

Abstract

00-85447 This award provides funding for scientists at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and the University of New England to collaborate with the Data Distribution Laboratory, a facility based at California Tech/JPL, to create a multimedia educational experience that will bring the lower end of the marine food web "to life". Interaction with multimedia tools and data simulations will enable students to discover why the marine ecosystem is critical to human existence. These multimedia products will provide a window to the fascinating world of the oceans' microscopic plant life which, at present, only scientists see. In order to develop the project, the PI's will also develop the first searchable database of important phytoplankton from the world's temperate oceans using three-dimensional phytoplankton models. The program will be used and tested in the University of New England's Biology classes, which are required for all incoming freshmen, as well as the upper level courses. Although this pilot is aimed at undergraduates, the PI's propose to expand the program to include pre-college students and informal education audiences. Initially, the program will be disseminated via CD ROMS and a website, but the program is aligned with efforts to create a Digital Library for Earth Science Education.