宾州州立银行 and Lehigh Valley professors created a multidisciplinary research project that involved participants in a meaningful community activity -- birdwatching. Born out of an increasing urgency to foster awareness and understanding of biodiversity, the project focused on birdwatching as the method of engagement because it’s a fairly accessible activity for most people.
WYOMISSING,爸爸. — How do you instill an appreciation of biodiversity and a desire to preserve ecosystems in the community? A team of 宾州州立银行 and Lehigh Valley professors tackled this very question through a multidisciplinary research project that involved participants in a meaningful community activity, 连接科学和艺术.
Born out of an increasing urgency to foster awareness and understanding of biodiversity, 据研究人员称, the project focused on birdwatching as the method of engagement because it is a fairly accessible activity for most people. 对于这项研究, more than 65 participants — ranging in age from young families to retirees — went on a group field experience at the Nature Place in Reading’s Angelica Creek Park. 自然广场是伯克自然的总部, a conservation organization in Berks County. There, 参加者由贝尔德鸟类俱乐部的专家指导, 谁提供有关雀鸟的资料及观鸟贴士. This outing was followed by a four-week period of independent study in which printed guides were provided for self-paced birdwatching and field notes.
“The challenge of maintaining biological diversity demands multidisciplinary approaches and action not only from scientists and leaders but from the wider public as well,Bryan Wang说, 赌博平台大全的生物学教授. "We examined whether encouraging public audiences to experience the natural world using tools of art and science increased awareness of and appreciation for biodiversity — starting with birds."
自然广场是伯克自然的总部, 伯克斯县的一个主要保护组织. 研究参与者由Baird鸟类俱乐部的专家指导, 谁提供有关雀鸟的资料及观鸟贴士.
The participants were asked to distill their learnings into written reflections and visual representations of the birds and of birdwatching and were then invited to show their artwork in a community art exhibition, 题为“鸟的叫声:致力于生物多样性的研究和行动”.——凯文·布罗菲, 画廊协调员, 策划展览, 是2022年5月在十大正规赌博平台大全伯克·弗雷伯格画廊举行的吗.
“I appreciated learning more about our local birds," said Brad Hartline, a participant in the study. "While I don’t really take them for granted, I don’t know as much about them as I would like to. I created a bluebird house out of 165-year-old cedar roof shingles from our house. We have a lot of different birds around our house but no bluebirds — we’re going to try to attract them.”
Safitaj Sindhar, 她是赌博平台大全的校友，在研究期间还是一名学生, 也参与了研究.
“当我在画画的时候，我试着画小鸟, I was amazed at how intricate the feathers and how beautiful the colors of these birds are,辛达尔说. “我从来没有仔细观察过鸟类，而是在试着画它们的时候, I observed little things I had not noticed before… This experience also made me reflect on the crisis concerning the environment.”
在鸟散步后，再次创造艺术, the participants were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing their connection to nature and concern about the environment. The researchers found that combining science and the arts increased participants' appreciation for the natural world.
The project was funded by a grant from the Penn State Sustainability Institute through their Mainstreaming Biodiversity in the Decade of Action program and ran from the summer of 2021 through the summer of 2022. The research team included Wang; Sandy Feinstein, professor of English and honors coordinator; and Samantha Kavky, associate professor of art history; and Penn State Lehigh Valley faculty member David Livert, 心理学教授. Wang handled the science aspect of the study including developing the field experience, 范斯坦创造了写作提示, Kavky协助美术制作经验, 利弗特帮助设计和实施了评估.
“We wanted to see what happens when people watch birds and create art and what effect these activities have on learning,王说. “我们既看他们做了什么，也看他们学到了什么."
He also noted that study participants exhibited learning in at least one of several categories of science learning in informal settings, as defined by the National Science Foundation and the National Academy of Science — developing an interest and understanding in a topic, 发展科学推理能力.
As the team wrote in the research report on the project, recently published in the 可持续发展教育杂志, “体验的整合, 如实地记录所示, artwork, 和写作, 加深对…的了解, 以及兴趣, 鸟类和它们的自然栖息地. In short, the data confirmed that participants gained a deeper appreciation for the natural world when seeing it in the contexts of both science and creative expression.”
