I-Corps: Natural Sounds and Audio Digital Network

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to provide a means to deliver highly original natural sounds recordings to over 3000 science, technology and nature centers in the United States that are moving to sonify their exhibit spaces. Exhibit spaces are now rapidly becoming electronic and interactive and they require audiovisual materials. The advances in audio focusing speaker technologies are making it possible to concentrate sound into a small space for single or small group experiences and touchscreens are now emerging in public spaces. Our customer discovery activities will determine how a nature ounds exhibit can serve the needs of this very large informal STEM learning community as they become digital. The products will 1) provide an extension of a natural setting in an accessible space for people, 2) introduce visually impaired people to STEM concepts using tactile methods, 3) utilize science standards in curriculum for camps/classrooms with authentic scientific equipment, 4) build knowledge about concepts such as biodiversity and preservation of habitats, and 4) impact how people are introduced to STEM concepts. These products have the potential to recruit individuals from an underrepresented community to STEM. This I-Corps project will lead to significant understanding of market size and commercial potential for nature exhibit products. This audio collection represents the culmination of global fieldwork at over 50 terrestrial and marine study sites representing nine of the twelve major biomes. Over 5,000,000 natural sound recordings from nearly every major terrestrial and marine biome are now available along with rich information on scientific research projects being conducted to study important environmental issues such as biodiversity, wildfire, invasive species, over grazing, toxic substances and climate variability. These audio files and scientific projects have been organized into learning modules that are interactive, informative and inspiring forming a flexible set of tools for building digital exhibits. Interactive kiosks have been developed and tested in several informal learning venues with considerable success. Finally, the outcome from the informal learning curriculum and complete studies from Borneo, Mongolia, Patagonia, and Tanzania, have been published in a wide range of peer-review journals which provides the validity to the scientific interpretation of the role that sounds play in nature. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.