Virtual Watershed Education and Training (V-WET) is a collaborative project focused on increasing student engagement in local environmental and STEM careers, using 360 virtual Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEEs). The goal of V-WET is to provide virtual field trip options to schools that are not able to conduct in-person trips to local habitats and scientific facilities. In this project we have created a series of three 360 virtual MWEE tour experiences that allow students to virtually visit NOAA and Texas A&M University at Galveston laboratories and local bay habitats. Tours include a 1) Phytoplankton tour, 2) Coastal fisheries tour and 3) Shark Biology tour. Project based learning activities and stewardship action items are incorporated into each virtual tour to increase engagement and stewardship of the Galveston Bay Watershed and the Gulf of Mexico. Curriculum packages accompany the tours and are supplies to teachers across the region. With this work we are projected to reach >3000 middle and high school students and 175 teachers and indirectly reach an additional 9,000 students who access and use the virtual platform across the Houston-Galveston region. The average student demographics for committed schools that submitted letters of support include: 77.9% underrepresented minority, 62.4% economically disadvantaged, and 37.8% at-risk for dropping out. With these interactive activities and action activities, students will gain environmental literacy, technology, and stewardship skills.

Primary Presenter: Jamie Steichen, Texas A&M University at Galveston (jamie.steichen@tamu.edu)

Authors:

Cindy Wilems, Galveston Bay Foundation  (cwilems@galvbay.org)

Jennifer Leo, NOAA Marine Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center  (jennifer.leo@noaa.gov)

Mariah Waters, Galveston Bay Foundation  (mwaters@galvbay.org)