On Friday, October 18, 62 fourth-graders from Monte Vista Elementary School in Rohnert Park visited SSU to learn how scientists carry out their investigations from hosts Dr. Lisa Patrick Bentley and graduate student Dawson Bell, both in the Department of Biology.
In the Bentley Lab, students were fitted with virtual reality (VR) headsets and used an app designed by Patrick Stafford (San Jose State University) Karsten Steinhorst ‘23 (SSU computer science alumna) to simulate scanning a forest with a laser to measure the structure of trees and wildfire fuel loads. They also watched VR videos, created by former SSU graduate student Alexander Flores (SSU Master of Science in Biology graduate), that explained how Bentley’s team uses remote sensing approaches to research questions related to forest health, wildfire, and disease in northern California forests.
"I loved the VR Goggles! In the lab room, I got to shoot lasers out of my controllers to scan the forest. It was really cool,” one student said.
Bentley said researchers – over decades – have found that, when implemented properly, learning via VR leads to substantial learning gains, from both increased access to deep learning opportunities and the social and psychological benefits that come from immersion in nature.
“Currently, I’m not aware of any VR experiences that are available in the science curriculum for elementary school students in the local area,” Bentley said.
During the visit the Biology Outreach Committee (led by undergraduate student Dipinder Kaur and Bell) encouraged scientific exploration by showing students biological specimens they could find in the natural world. Afterward, the students applied their newfound knowledge to a self-led nature scavenger hunt around campus, created by Bell to demonstrate the diversity of life at SSU.
One student said, “I liked the scavenger hunt best. It was fun to walk around the campus and see how beautiful it was. The activities were fun because we don't get to do things like that a lot.”
Another student added, “I also liked the scavenger hunt because we got to make a statue of Mrs. Pepper [their teacher]. I used some sticks to make her body, a tree stump for her head, some pebbles for her eyes and mouth, and leaves for her hair. I also found train tracks.”
Bentley and her team hope that by offering hands-on experiences to elementary school students, they can fill some educational opportunity gaps and foster greater exchange among researchers, students, and local communities.