Alexis Merker
Marine Biology Student
Embedded Files
Indian River Lagoon Manatee Simulation
Indian River Lagoon Manatee Simulation
Main Objective
Main Objective
Working in an interdisciplinary team as the only Marine Biology student, Alexis Merker was given the initiative to research the plight of manatees in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and build a script to illustrate her findings to a larger audience.
Initial Research
In order for the simulation to best represent the IRL Alexis was required to research the following:
flora and fauna
environmental challenges
foundational geographic information about the area.
To learn more, follow this link:
Script
Script
The next step was to select a common challenge faced by manatees in the IRL. Eutrophication, or the presence of excess nutrients in ocean waters, was selected because it has a direct correlation to seagrass loss and repetitive unusual manatee mortality events (UME).
The script written by Alexis features four new scenes that together illustrate the effects of eutrophication: manatee school, transition scene, manatee hell, and an improved site for the manatees. The script features statistics regarding seagrass loss and the number of UMEs in recent years and easy actions we can implement in our daily lives to prevent eutrophication.
To learn more about eutrophication and UMEs, click the links to the left titled Eutrophication and Manatee Mortality, respectively.
Accomplishments
Accomplishments
Created a series of actions participants can implement in real life to help prevent eutrophication
Learned about UMEs and manatee wellbeing and conservation
Learned specific geographical and ecological information pertaining to the IRL
Utilized prior knowledge about the correlation between seagrass loss and manatee conservation to help a team build a well-planned VR simulation
Became part of an ongoing project designed around environmental protection and marine mammal conservation
Worked effectively with an interdisciplinary team where each person had their own individualized areas of expertise
Remained dependable for information and feedback on subjects such as the seagrass and manatee models
Remained flexible and adaptable to ideas that would best convey a point but were not exactly realistic (i.e., a manatee school bus and projector at school were used to build the school scene)
Learning Goals
Learning Goals
Provide photos of the flora and fauna of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL)
Select a current obstacle manatees face living in the IRL
Research the causes and effects of eutrophication
Learn how to communicate information regarding eutrophication, UMEs, and more
Research causes of seagrass loss in the Indian River Lagoon
Find information regarding manatee mortality events in the IRL and surrounding areas
To closely collaborate with my teammates to learn how to work effectively in an interdisciplinary team
Created a script for the three new scenes in the simulation
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