The human world is connected. Through technology, people have instant access to information on the go in ways we could have imagined even just a decade ago. With the world as well connected as it is, there is no reason why the natural world shouldn't have a network just a strong as the social ones thousands rely on each day. America’s zoos can be that network, blending live animals with technology, information and atmosphere to present multidimensional access to the natural world. By packaging information in a creative and interactive way, it will not only add value to the information itself, but also engage children whose decisions at a young age will guide their interaction with nature their entire lives, and the adults with the means to enact change now. I want to help build this network.
While at the University of Miami, I volunteered with a program called Ocean Kids. This department sponsored event provided a one day learning experience to several at risk schools in the Miami area. Children visited multiple stations, learning about a variety of ocean and science related topics. I led a station on marine mammals. I was in charge of creating a program outline for the station, designing and creating the station on a budget, and organizing my volunteers to assist during the program. The Ocean Kids program statistically showed an increase in students' standardized test scores in science.
There is a wealth of possibilities for zoos and aquariums working closely with local school districts, especially if a curriculum is presented that reinforces math, science and technology concepts, given the emphasis currently being placed on these S.T.E.M. subjects. While with Lyman Woods and Downers Grove Park District, I was part of a team teaching a supplemental program for a 1st grade ‘seeds and plants’ curriculum. Many students from this program later brought their parents back to the interpretive center. This has emphasized for me the importance of environmental education in conjunction with school curriculums. Hands on learning increases information recall, and helps students identify patterns and connections they may not otherwise see. And the exposure of just that select grade level meant that families were returning to experience the woods on their own time later on.
The range of programming available is astounding, and limited only by our imaginations. Math at all levels is used by zoos and aquariums to help with the care and enrichment of the animals, from using geometry to assure proper square footage as required by laws to using basic algebra to create a balanced diet for an individual. We use advanced algebra and our understanding of animal physiology to create laws pertaining to exhibit safety, and to determine the business models that keep the zoo running. High school students studying physics, genetics, and psychology would find great models in a zoological setting, and elementary students can practice all sorts of math concepts from addition to estimation. Introducing inquiry based programming for students and inquiry based mobile applications for the public would increase time spent at each exhibit and engage zoo guests in a scientific program that connects them to a particular creature. And once they are connected, giving them multiple ways to protect that animal, from energy conservation in their own homes to decreasing the demand for unsustainable products, turns a passive zoo guest into an active voice for conservation.
I have worked in zoological settings before, both as an environmental educator and as an animal training intern. I understand the time constraints put on keepers and trainers, but I also understand the depth of their understanding of the animals in their care. I believe that it is important for guests to interact with these people, who serve as a bridge to the animals themselves. As an intern at Sea Life Park Hawai’i, I assisted trainers during dolphin interaction programs. The trainers were able to enhance a guest’s experience because they understood their animal. And the guests knew they were being engaged not only by the animal itself but also by someone who worked day in and day out with that animal. They knew what motivated that animal, and what made it unique as an individual, rather than a species.
Yet people also need the environmental educator, the person with all the facts and some way to make those facts more tangible. Working as a Roving Naturalist at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, I often gave 10 minute “zoo chats” about Bactrian camels. The topic of my chat was camels as ultimate backpackers, prepared with water, food, clothing and accessories for any weather. I had access to a box of sand and two blocks- one with a large surface area and one with a small surface area. Using this prop, I could show how the wide leathery pads on a camel’s foot could keep it from sinking deep into the sand of its desert home. It was a treat to watch it begin to make sense in a child’s eyes.
I also had the opportunity to staff the stingray touch tank, teaching people about the animals that were literally at their fingertips, and speaking on conservation issues relating to the ocean world. That connection, the ability to literally touch a world Chicago natives don’t often see, was enough to have many people taking the offered Seafood Watch guides, taking a step to protect the animals that shared their world with those rays.
Too often I've come across zoo guests who say if they've seen the zoo once, they don't need to see it again. Building a platform which allows them to spend more quality time with each animal or exhibit, learning not just about zoology or animal behavior but also extending into the worlds of math and other sciences, would increase demand for the zoo environment as well as inspire conservation leadership in all ages of zoo guests.
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