Restore the shore: online STEM engagement impacts on youths’ conceptualizations of living shorelines and connection to water

AbstractVirtual reality (VR) and electronic field trips (EFT) can introduce youth to natural environments, climate change mitigation strategies, and related STEM careers. We developed a VR and EFT outreach program featuring scientists working on living shorelines for coastal restoration as a response to sea-level rise and examined the program’s impacts on youth through survey and arts-based methods. We found that: a) VR and EFTs proved to be effective for increasing participants’ connection to water, shoreline conservation, and STEM careers and b) arts-based methods can be used to examine participants’ sense of place but could be strengthened to emphasize human-environment connection. AcknowledgementsThe Florida Sea Grant and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture – Hatch Project 1020962 funded The Streaming Science Project: Restore the Shore virtual reality tours, electronic field trips, and coinciding research. Thank you to the UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station scientists, UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication graduate students, and participating teachers and their students who made this work possible.Disclosure statementThe authors report there are no competing interests to declare.Additional informationFundingFlorida Sea Grant, University of Florida.