Abstract Detail

Education and Outreach

Soltis, Douglas [1], Gitzendanner, Matt [2], Guralnick, Robert [3], Mestaoui, Naziha [4], Rosindell, James [5], Soltis, Pamela [6], Wong, Yang [7].

The ONE TREE, ONE PLANET Cell Phone App, Connecting Art and Science.

The fundamental importance of the Tree of Life is clear to the scientific community, in terms of both the importance of biodiversity and a firm knowledge of phylogenetic relationships among all species. But how can we convey the magnitude and complexity of the Tree of Life to students and the public? ONE TREE, ONE PLANET merges science and art in an effort to show the interconnections among all species in the Great Tree of Life. We have just released the ONE TREE, ONE PLANET smart phone app (for both iPhone and android). The app is suitable for a wide range of ages and is also a great teaching tool. In the application, the user will be able to connect to the Tree of Life, with both a facial image and heartbeat. The user will join other participants in representing Homo sapiens in the Tree of Life and will also be connected with one of 15 focal species, each of which is the subject of an artistic and musical vignette that portrays. The user will learn how we are related to each of these 15 species and connected to all life on Earth. After that first experience with the Tree of Life, the user will then be invited to take challenges to reduce one’s impact on our planet and its biodiversity. These challenges range from using less energy, to eating sustainable seafood, to planting native plants. ONE TREE, ONE PLANET makes it fun, easy, and rewarding for everyone to reduce our collective impact. The app also gives access to an interactive Tree of Life explorer based on OneZoom, allowing users to explore the evolutionary connections between the more than 2 million species in the Tree of Life. The app is also useful during live projections of ONE TREE, ONE PLANET by providing participants with the opportunity to interact with the artwork and have their portraits projected on large buildings and other structures, truly becoming part of the art. For more information, please see https://onetreeoneplanet.org/.

1 - University Of Florida, Florida Museum Of Natural History, Dickinson Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, United States
2 - University Of Florida, Biology, PO Box 117800, Gainesville, FL, 32611, United States
3 - Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville,
4 - artist, Paris, France
5 - Imperial College, London, UK
6 - University Of Florida, Florida Museum Of Natural History, Po Box 117800, Gainesville, FL, 32611, United States
7 - Oxford University, Oxford, UK

Keywords:
art
projection art
cell phone app
biodiversity
outreach.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: EO1, Education and Outreach I
Location: Tucson C/Starr Pass
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2019
Time: 10:15 AM
Number: EO1009
Abstract ID:592
Candidate for Awards:None