The Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment

Wowiwe Instruction is a company that received a SBIR Phase I grant for a project entitled: An Environmental Geology Game for Discovery-oriented Science and Mathematics Education. Their research project aims to solve a growing need for environmental science education. The project focusses on the development of a dynamic, group-based, immersive virtual environment (IVE). The primary innovation of the project lies at the intersection of three fruitful lines of research. First, IVEs show improved learning gains in science classrooms. Second, group learning is increasingly important, both from an employer's viewpoint and an educator's viewpoint. Finally, the fast-paced, immediate nature of our society requires individuals to respond quickly and effectively to dynamic events. The combination of these three will lead to a new, and potentially more intrinsically motivating, method of teaching environmental science. A study will be performed to determine the efficacy of the approach in terms of both learning outcomes and attitudinal measures, using high school students in a controlled laboratory setting. The 'degree of casual adoption' among high school students will be assessed through the 'landing site' developed for a related project. At the conclusion of the project, the IVE will be a fully-contained experimentally validated software package feasible for Phase II distribution to a number of markets. In the recent OECD international study of developed countries, the US ranked 21st in the percentage of the population with a high proficiency of environmental science skills and knowledge. This presents a marketable need for experimentally validated pedagogical software solutions that align with state and national standards. Meanwhile, environmental issues are reaching the forefront of national thought. This provides unique commercial opportunities for environmentally focused IVE software. Key players in the market include educational publishers and software developers. Competing technology is mainly non-immersive video clips, simple one-off activities, or in the best case, static games with a single outcome. Our solution is better than products developed by these companies because it leads the way by bringing three emerging technologies to bear on an environmental science curriculum. This project is tailored to take advantage of the One-to-One Initiative arising in states such as Michigan and Maine, through a combination of exit screens and landing sites with potential to be accessed by thousands of students per year. The software developed from this project will be purchased by high school students interested in environmental science and 'green' issues currently topical, and by parents interested in providing their children a more complete and socially relevant science education.

WorldLink Media is a company that received a SBIR Phase II grant for a project entitled: Interactive Earth. Their project proposes to research and develop ways to increase accessibility and utilization of Earth systems science data and visualizations for secondary school teachers and students. The commercial product will consist of a DVDROM, curriculum, and web site. Building on WorldLink Media, Inc.'s previously published CD product, Interactive Earth, the firm will develop an integrated tool set for data display and image interpretation that will enable students to inquire, hypothesize, analyze, discover, and communicate with peers-replicating the work of real scientists. Much more than a static software program, the Interactive Earth DVD-ROM will be part of a "learning platform" that includes an in-depth curriculum package, access to a rich archive of global data via the web, and professional development opportunities. Partnerships with NASA's Earth Observatory web site and the World Resources Institute's EarthTrends project will enable classroom access to extensive global data sets and visualizations. TERC, a research and education organization, will develop a curriculum that aligns with the National Science Education Standards. This SBIR project recognizes the vital interplay between a curriculum developer (TERC), data providers (NASA and World Resources Institute), and a media designer and tool-builder (WorldLink) in creating exemplary learning materials. Earth science is of national strategic importance as a field of research and innovation. The potential contribution to our schools and students is not just in Earth systems science, but in the broader applicability of the skills developed by students to related domains of science, math, geography, and other fields. These thinking skills include inquiry, visual literacy, understanding systems and models, and the ability to apply knowledge and problem solving to a range of real-world issues.

The Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin is one of the leading centers of computational excellence in the United States. Since it began supporting researchers in 2001, TACC has expanded at a tremendous rate, both physically and computationally. From a staff of only 15, and one mid-level Cray supercomputer, TACC has grown to more than 150 staff and students, and multiple world-class advanced computing resources including Stampede2, Lonestar5, Hikari, Wrangler, Jetstream, Maverick, Stallion, Stockyard, Corral and Ranch.

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is an astronomical research center. It helps humanity explore the universe with space telescopes and data archives. The center is a multi-mission operations center for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) flagship observatories. It was founded in 1981 and is based in Baltimore, Maryland.

VisTrails, Inc. is a Salt Lake City, UT based company that has received a grant(s) from the Department of Energy's SBIR/STTR program. The abstract(s) for these grant award(s) are provided as well since they provide insights into VisTrails, Inc.'s business and areas of expertise. This project will develop the framework to capture and manage all the steps that are taken by a user interacting with existing scientific visualization systems. The result will be a complete audit trail of the computational processes that are required to reproduce an image or discovery.

Lawrenceville Plasma Physics is a high-tech research and development corporation specializing in applications of plasma physics, including fusion power and intense X-ray sources. The company's lead project is the development of an ecologicaly safe fusion energy generator using a device called the dense plasma focus (DPF) and hydrogen-boron fuel called "Focus Fusion". LPP's technology and peer-reviewed science are guiding the design of this technology for this virutally unlimited source of clean energy that can be significantly cheaper than any other energy sources currently in use.