Making Movies. Creating and scripting 3-D animations. Navigating in virtual worlds. Customizing your own avatars. Learning about climate change and its effects on South Florida. Designing structures to withstand hurricanes. Combine all of these elements, and you get the Museum’s program entitled Digital WAVE: Warming Winds and Water. Nineteen students participated in a two-week summer program in which they were able to do all these things. Students learned about climate change and its effects on South Florida, including how hurricane intensity and frequency may be related, and designed and built their own virtual 3-D structures with the help of an experienced technology teacher and mentor. Then they watched what happened as their virtual hurricanes roared past their structures.
At the end of the two weeks, the Museum held a Family Day Finale Event and Student Showcase for Digital WAVE. Each student created a short movie which showed their structures either withstanding or being destroyed by their virtual hurricanes, and also featured some photos and other work the students had completed. Parents and other family members were invited to see the Student Showcase and hear about students’ work and experiences. After passing out certificates for completing the program, and eating some cake, the big question from the students came, as they started to leave: “When is the next program I can sign up for?”