HMSC RESEARCH SEMINAR

HMSC RESEARCH SEMINAR- Thursday, October 14, 2021

SPEAKER: Dr. Sarah Oktay, Director of Strategic Engagement for the University of California Davis’ Natural Reserve System & Dr. Angelica E. Patterson, Master Science Educator, Black Rock Forest

TOPIC: The Next Best Thing to Being There, an Introduction to the Virtual Field for Field Stations and Marine Labs and a new RCN

ABSTRACT: Virtual technology has the power to bring high-impact learning experiences at field stations and marine laboratories (FSMLs) into classrooms across the nation. The Virtual Field (TVF), an on-line collaborative platform that began as a response to Covid-19 pandemic, gives students first-hand experiences exploring ecosystems with researchers around the world. We will build on foundational efforts undertaken over the last year to create motivational 360 experiences and scale-up use of virtual field technology by underrepresented students.

RCN-UBE: Incubator: Broadening Student Access to Field Experiences using The Virtual Field Platform Place-based learning experiences have a profound effect on undergraduate student knowledge and long-term engagement in sciences. However, these interactions are often unavailable to those who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM. In addition, high-impact transformative educational experiences are needed to increase the diversity of biology professionals in the field sciences, yet financial and logistical barriers can prevent the participation of underrepresented students. Increasing access to place-based virtual learning experiences will help to reduce barriers to field opportunities many students experience prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This new RCN proposes to create a network dedicated to developing transformative virtual field experiences for underserved and underrepresented students at Community Colleges (CCs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribal Colleges (TC). This proposed RCN will make field biology experiences accessible through virtual technologies. Field experiences result in transformative educational experiences for students. The Virtual Field (virtualfield.org) can serve as a vehicle for engaging a broader student audience who otherwise would not have an opportunity to visit these sites. With a global distribution of 1268 terrestrial, coastal, and marine stations, over 75% affiliated with universities, Field Stations and Marine Labs (FSMLs) are in a unique position to respond to the needs of the next generation of undergraduate biology students.

DATE: Thursday, October 14, 2021

FORMAT: Fully Remote

TIME: 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

For the live broadcast of the Thursday Seminar, visit: https://oregonstate.zoom.us/j/94555731151?pwd=RnJ6eVg0ODdzRUpVc0pQbUlIdUV3dz09
Password: 972587 or call +1-971-247-1195 US Meeting ID: 945 5573 1151

For recordings of past Thursday Seminars, visit: http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/pastseminars