Mirroring the Institute’s focus on integrated systems and collective impacts, the goal of this public outreach effort is to underscore the connectedness of systems, people and change. Through actions in a Mixed Reality Environment, people will encounter the research generated by New Roots in a context that allows them to see the impact of current research on their future. For this project, specifically the impacts relative to climate change.
Description of the Communication Project
We seek to increase the impact of the New Roots for Restoration project by creating an engaging experience with adaptable, reusable elements (animations, data streams, etc) accessible to the public and designed to inspire future conversations.
Indigenous voices are critical to this project, and this Communicating Science project will have the inclusion of Indigenous voices and perspective as a strong component.
Through the life of the NRR project, we propose to create a Mixed Reality ecosystem to demonstrate the research of NRR in a vitally accessible way, communicating to our target audience: 10-20 year old people who have become cynical in the absence of knowledgeable action to mitigate climate change.
By demonstrating simultaneously the science that NRR is discovering and its possible impact on mitigating the effects of climate change, we want to demonstrate hope through action; that action is possible, even on complex, interconnected issues. That our interconnectedness is the key.
To be clear, I have no interest in working on a project in which the science and data are presented as neutral. This communication project, which relies on the research from New Roots and will be communicating that research, needs to have a point of view, a perspective. It cannot be neutral. The perception that science and scientists are neutral in the face of Climate Change is both incorrect and damaging, but it is persistent, due in part to the nature of scientific practice, and in part to our fragmented and divisive media landscape. While I believe there should be many outlets for communicating the science from NRR, I am interested in creating something with you to demonstrate both the urgency of climate change and the ability of humans to understand and address it.
The New Roots for Restoration Institute
Integrating Plant Organismal Systems, Population & Community Ecology, and the Soil Ecosphere
The New Roots for Restoration Biology Integration Institute aims to advance the critical, cross-cutting biological theme of how plant roots and shoots relate to one another, and how these relationships influence and are influenced by plant communities and the soil ecosphere.
We envision a series of concentric circles that orient and guide the coordinated activities of the Institute. At the core are plant organism systems, in which we apply contemporary phenotyping approaches and develop new methods to quantify plant root and shoot systems and ask how above- and belowground plant traits covary at the individual, population, and species levels. Next, we place plants in population and community contexts and investigate how patterns of above- and belowground trait covariation shift across populations and change as a function of community composition.
To understand interactions between plants, communities, and the soil ecosphere, we design new experiments to examine how soil and soil microbiome (soil ecosphere) mediates root/shoot variation and interactions of populations and plant species, and vice versa. In a final synthetic goal, we use structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess the relative importance of plant phenotypic variation, species, communities, and site properties to changes in soil.
Examples of Mixed Reality projects
Utilizing Mixed Reality, Virtual and Augmented Reality, in tandem with other media forms such as the Web or video to produce a multi-platform project is the ideal mix of mediums for this communication project. The world we inhabit encounters thee world we have made, and keeps discovery at the forefront of our experience.
Below are examples of prior projects, I will give an idea of what in each one I think is intriguing to this project, given three things I think are important to this project: point of view, access to research, and actions on the part of participants.
Infinite Herbarium
Participants take intentional actions to engage with plant morphology, art and evolution.
Infinite Herbarium
Insidious Rising
STRONG point of view, attractive and engaging, good research availability, emotional cues are too unified (all despair)
MRI of the Earth
Gorgeous and engaging, this project does and excellent job of making research accessible
The Crystal Reef
Participants can see an overlay of two realities to help them identify healthy coral as well as the conditions healthy coral requires.
Un(re)solved
VR in a Social Justice and History context. I love the point of view, as well as the ability to access primary documents, photographs and news accounts. The installation is similar in operation to what we are proposing.
Tree
I really just like that I can pretend to be a tree. Also, leaf cutter ants!
Timeline and Funding
Timeline: driven by funding but anticipate each iteration will take six months.
We would like to combine portions of funding from a number of grants over the NRR project life, to best utilize available funds and promote a long term project.
Full Proposal Deadline(s):
- No fixed deadline
- Proposals may be submitted at anytime, but at least six months prior to anticipated start date.
Opportunities
Local opportunities for Indigenous Voices
Description
Research: links
Meg and Maddie bios:
Interested?