In this lab, we do outreach activities in addition to basic science research to make sure that our science benefits the wider society, specifically communities in which the science is done and from which our science is derived. Currently, our focus is on developing digital tools and media that explain resulting scientific knowledge to communities. We do so because digital tools are relatively cheap yet more wide-reaching, making them potentially more inclusive than traditional tools and methods of scientific outreach. Below you will find a list of projects we are working on:

Digital Games

We use digital games as a teaching tool. Games offer a way to intuit complex scientific knowledge in a fun and engaging way. By working with digital games, we offer a cheaper and more easily accessible form of learning through games that is accessible to all persons.

Plant Biomass Allocation

This is the digital version of a board game originally created by Dr. Gordon G. McNickle. In this game, a player, acting as a plant, allocates biomass to various structures in order to gain the most fitness at the end of the season by producing the most fruit. The digitization was done in the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic so that it could still be used for learning purposes.

In the first version below, the player is by itself and in a single environment.

In the second version, the plant now competes with another plant and can do so in various “biomes” which govern the probability of rain at each timestep.

Videos

Digital CURE courses

Zoom Lessons