Researchers at the University of Glasgow and Lancaster are on a mission to inspire the next generation of plant scientists with educational resources that transform the existing plant science curriculum into an engaging and interactive subject for classroom learning.
Sci-Seedlets resources are designed to provide tasters of plant research and its importance in solving global problems by drawing upon molecular plant science at the University of Glasgow. By supporting educators to teach plant science i, the ultimate goal is to over plant blindness a form of bias that inhibits human ability to see or notice plants in one’s everyday life and to increase interest in plant science.
To develop a strong legacy in plant research, the Sci-Seedlets resources convey the importance of molecular plant research which allows scientists to develop new strategies to engineer crops to be healthy and resilient in the face of climate challenges for global food security.
By integrating a range of cross-disciplinary partnerships, the Sci-Seedlets project has evolved over the last decade to better understand the needs for engagement and learning. The team have participated in science festivals, conducted school trials, held workshops, worked with teachers, and shared the individual resources, also translated into Chinese, Arabic, and Spanish for wider accessibility, with over 20,000 people and educators worldwide.
The new Sci-Seedlets’ educational kits for classrooms combine traditional, experiment based, interactive-gaming based and digital STEM-led educational resources to enhance learning outcomes for pupils. The resources are designed to be sustainable, accessible, and affordable; Leaf-Zoom, the first of Sci-Seedlets’ educational kits was launched at the Knightswood Primary School in Glasgow this week. The Sci-Seedlets project – led by a multidisciplinary team from the University of Glasgow – aims to educate school age children about the importance of plant physiology and plant science research. The resources were created with feedback from teachers at Knightswood Primary School in Glasgow .
The Sci-Seedlets game “Thaliana: Quest for Gene X” – which now includes new STEM diversity character designs and was developed by a team at Lancaster University – it opens up and unlocks the world of plant science to children through an interactive game. By using an interactive game where Children get to perform virtual molecular plant experiments, embark upon adventures in a plant science laboratory, and discover fascinating facts about plants and plant growth, while sparking their curiosity and improving their knowledge about plants and molecular science. By gamifying plant science, the team hope to encourage children around the world to learn not just about molecular plant science, but how the science can help address climate challenges and achieve food security by reducing water-use and improving plant health.
Dr Rucha Karnik, Senior Royal Society University Research Fellow and Sci-Seedlets developer and project lead, from the University’s School of Molecular Biosciences, said: “We are so excited about the rich engagement experience we have gained over the years culminating in the development of the Sci-Seedlets educational kits. As a team, we want to not only communicate our science, but also to enthuse a fascination for the subject, encourage more children and young people to pursue plant science. This is best served by understanding the needs of the pupils and educators to help facilitate teaching of the subject in the classrooms.
Mrs Rhona Martin and Miss Ellen Harrold, Teachers at the Knightswood Primary school at Glasgow, who have supported Sci-Seedlets resource developments from an educator’s perspective said – “We believe the Sci-Seedlets projects has the immense potential to impact public interest in plants and empower younger generations to pursue plant science.”
The Sci-Seedlets first of its kind virtual game “Thaliana: Quest for Gene X” – developed in collaboration with Human Computer Interaction scientists at Lancaster University unlocks the world of plant science through an interactive game. Users get to step into the shoes of a plant scientist and perform virtual molecular and plant growth experiments, embark upon adventures in a plant science laboratory, and discover fascinating facts about plants, while sparking their curiosity and improving their knowledge about plants. By gamifying plant science, the team hope to encourage children around the world to learn not just about molecular plant science, but how the science can help address climate challenges and achieve food security by reducing water-use and improving plant health.
Dr Abe Karnik, Senior Lecturer HCI at Lancaster University, and developer of Thaliana said: “Sci-seedlets is a unique opportunity and challenge for a cross-disciplinary team of scientists to make complex science interesting and attractive to a young audience. We transformed complex concepts into simple game mechanics that retained the scientific accuracy while delivering a playful experience. To us, Sci-Seedlets is an exciting new direction for experiential learning for STEM and grounded in game design and interactivity research.”
Sci-Seedlets resources include new designs for scientist characters in the learning activities to promote concepts of equality, diversity, and inclusion in science.
Developing the characters, Dr Tim Peacock, Lecturer in History and Co-Director of Games and Gaming Lab at University of Glasgow’s College of Arts and Humanities said: “Our UofGGamesLab contribution to this innovative project has included graphic design of the game characters, informed by research-led historical study of how people from diverse backgrounds have represented themselves in different art media and video games.”
Dr Mathis Riehle, Cell Engineer at the University of Glasgow who brings his teaching experience and artist skills to the project said, “Scientific evidence has proven that impressions are best made on young minds, therefore a mechanism like ours is necessary to introduce Plant Science to young minds, empower educators and convey the necessity, potential and excitement for plants to the next generation of plant scientists.”
The Sci-Seedlets project is realised through support from SMB, MVLS Innovation team, funding from BBSRC, The Royal Society, Glasgow Knowledge Exchange Funding, and the University of Glasgow.
Links:
MVLS TRI Case Study
By Rucha Karnik
8 March 2004