GSA Connects 2024 Meeting in Anaheim, California

Paper No. 234-4
Presentation Time: 8:55 AM

DEVELOPING ACCESSIBLE VISUALIZATIONS OF GEOPHYSICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES FOR CAVE AND KARST EDUCATION


LUGO, Raquel1, HEYER, Devra1, JONES, Daniel2, DAVIS, Valerie1 and TOBIN, Benjamin, PhD1, (1)National Cave and Karst Research Institute, Carlsbad, NM 88220, (2)Department of Earth and Environmental Science, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, 801 Leroy Pl, Socorro, NM 87801; National Cave and Karst Research Institute, Carlsbad, NM 88220

Information graphics are an effective tool for delivering scientific information, and are used in a variety of different scientific contexts such as on research papers, poster and oral presentations, and textbooks. According to Mayer and Anderson (1991), students learn topics best when text or verbal information is presented along with a visual, as opposed to only text/verbal information or only visual information. As a result, information graphics can be a powerful supplement in text or verbal communication and aids in the comprehension of complex or abstract ideas. Visuals can be any graphics such as diagrams, pictures or animations. The National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI) has a goal to promote public education by providing resources to educators and academic institutions, acting as a nexus between various entities and interacting with the public through multiple means. NCKRI’s educational endeavors include social media posts, learning module systems and a website. Through these platforms, an ongoing project of NCKRI is the development of accessible information graphics on cave and karst science. For earth sciences, envisioning information in a variety of forms is beneficial. Animations are specifically helpful in explaining geophysical processes because of its ability to emphasize attributes and their dimensions, temporal changes and even spatial changes. Geophysical and geochemical processes such as how speleothems form, speleogenesis of caves, and development of karst landscapes can be shown through animated diagrams and videos. NCKRI is using these principles to create animated diagrams that are shared through the platform GIPHY, via text messages, and as stories on social media. They are also turned into one minute animations with verbal descriptive information to be shared as a Youtube Short and Instagram Reel. The purpose of this project is to promote cave and karst education by providing accurate and targeted information to a wider audience.