Overview

The goal of this project is to work with Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Birch Aquarium to help the scientists in their goal of translating complex science to the public while incorporating design and display techniques.

Project Initiation

For our project launch, the students went to Birch Aquarium for a field trip and walked down to the Marine Protected Area at the beach below to get hands-on experience in a local MPA. Additionally, they were able to sit in on a Q&A panel with Scripps scientists and experts in the field. These experiences, in conjunction with peer-reviewed articles, informed the students as they created deliverables for their chosen audiences, varying in age and cultural background.

Project Exploration and Development

Students used a combination of hands-on Chemistry research and labs, development of skills in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Premier for Multimedia, as well as continued work with rhetorical reading and writing strategies in English while developing their deliverables.  The project deliverables for this year consisted of an infographic, multi-layer artistic stencil, and a video documenting the year-long experience through a lens of student choice. In the production process, students were consistently reflecting on planning, implementing, and revision both individually and as a team through the guidance of their production documents. Student products met industry standards and were guided by common core learning targets.

Project Revision and Exhibition

Birch curators and educational specialists provided feedback on both accuracy and design components. Students were in the middle of revising infographics based on client feedback as well as in the middle of producing the multi-layer stencils digitally. The students would have showcased their work at the Birch Aquarium amongst family members, friends, peers, Scripps scientists, and Birch employees. Birch was going to display our highest quality stencil paintings as an art installation.

Teachers and Subjects

Jena Workman - Chemistry
Derek Young - Multimedia
Kelly Parker - English Language Arts

Stencils

Infographics