GoPro in Education Showcase

Grouper Moon Education Dive

This project is of particular interest to me because of its use of technology in marine science education.

In 2011 REEF, a SCUBA diving community that works to contribute to the understanding and protection of marine populations, joined with collaborators to develop an education program. This program coincides with the Grouper Moon Project, which is a collaborative conservation program between REEF and the Cayman Islands Department of the Environment studying Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus).

The program includes curricular materials and classroom lessons, as well as "meet the scientist" and "live from the field" sessions, in which GoPro cameras were utilized. They worked in collaboration with classrooms from Cayman Prep and High School, and with funding from the Disney Worldwide Conservation Program, they piloted the program during the aggregation field season in 2012.

Hello Kitty in Space

This science project by Cornerstone Christian School 7th graders is an adorable use of Hello Kitty and a GoPro camera, which serves to make atmospheric science fun! The footage is cute, but the launch was also used to examine the effects of altitude on air pressure and temperature, and that data was incorporated into the final product.

Project Aether

Into the wild: cultivating the next generation of American scientists with Project Aether - Engadget

"Getting a 10-year-old to appreciate concepts like the density of a gas affected by temperature is difficult. Getting that same 10-year-old excited to calculate the right amount of helium to inject into a balloon she's going to launch 20 miles into the air is, however, rather easier."

Project Aether has a partnership with GoPro, and launches high altitude weather balloons in collaboration with schools to teach students physics concepts, experimental research skills, and to make space exploration accessible to students. A weather balloon lifts a specially designed payload package that is composed of GoPro HD cameras, GPS tracking devices, and other science equipment.