Santa Cruz River Virtual Research
Bringing field research to every student.
In this Environmental Science course, videos shot with 360-cameras are used to create a virtual reality experience of the Santa Cruz River. The goal was to give students who are online or have disabilities the ability to practice doing research in the watershed without traveling to Tucson.
Immersive Research Experience
The project creates an immersive research experience with dashboards and databases that students can access from within the VR environment. Students can extract and analyze real data to test hypotheses about watershed ecology and water quality.
Dr. Jackie Maximillian partnered with Bryan Carter in the Center for Digital Humanities to capture the Santa Cruz River using 360-cameras. The experience connects to a data.net dashboard containing all the data students need for their analysis, including streamflow, groundwater levels, and physiochemical water quality parameters.
Accessible Learning
Students can use VR headsets for the full immersive experience or access the content in 2D on their personal devices. This flexibility ensures that all students can participate in meaningful field research, regardless of location or physical ability.
Visit the full interactive tour.
Project Lead: Dr. Jacqueline "Jackie" Maximillian, School of Natural Resources and the Environment