- Identify two SPECIFIC funding sources for the design phase of your project and two SPECIFIC funding sources for the dissemination (implementation / distribution / commercialization) phase of your project. For each funding source, explain why this is a good fit for your project, and what SPECIFIC aspect of your project might the funding source support.
- Design Phase:
- Office of Creative Inquiry
- This current funding source is crucial to our project as it provides a network of people whose goal is to provide lasting social impact, and it does so through Lehigh University, where our team is based. It also provides valuable teaching on how our venture will grow.
- The funding from this source goes towards upfront software costs to use Unity, costs for VR-capable laptops for the team, and VR headsets for the team to conduct testing on.
- Environmental Education (EE) Grants through the EPA
- This funding source is a good fit to our team because it has a specific focus on environmental education, which we have cemented with our current nature center partnerships. They provide “financial support for projects that design, demonstrate, and/or disseminate environmental education practices, methods, or techniques.” This aligns directly with our project as we seek to revolutionize environmental education with VR technology.
- The funding from this source would go towards the testing and publication of the IVR game
- Dissemination phase:
- Department of education (local, state, national)
- This funding source is a good fit for our team because they have a vested interest in improving education in the Lehigh Valley and beyond. They will bring us closer to the classrooms and learners who we create experiences for, and have the means to support us.
- The funding from this source would not only grow our network of potential schools interested in our custom-designed educational experiences, but also help fund our team travel, marketing, and communication with our customers.
- AISL through NSF (advancing informal stem learning)
- This funding source is a good fit for our team because they have a specific interest in projects that enhance STEM education in an informal setting. This includes our work with museums, nature centers, zoos, national parks, and any other informal learning centers.
- The funding from this source would not only grow our network of potential informal learning centers interested in our custom-designed educational experiences, but the funds would cover software development costs such as the purchase of digital assets to best teach environmental concepts.
2. Identify five specific partnerships that you need to forge to advance your project forward with the ultimate goal of positively impacting Lehigh University AND ten other universities. Describe exactly how each partnership might help you achieve scale and why that entity might be willing to work with you.
- Pennsylvania Department of Education
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- Partnering with the PA Department of Education would give us a broad network of schools and classrooms that would be potential customers for our VR games to teach environmental concepts to students. They might be willing to work with us because their goals of providing the best learning experience for their students align with our goals of improving educational experiences through immersive VR.
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- Da Vinci Science Center
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- Partnering with the Da Vinci Science center would provide us a connection to the network of museums and science centers in the Lehigh Valley and beyond, which would give us an opportunity to prove our expertise and advertise our success to other local museums or science centers. They might be willing to work with us because of their emphasis on hands-on learning for science concepts, which aligns directly with our goals of making learning content more engaging for students, particularly in the realm of environmental science.
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- Lehigh Valley Zoo
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- Through partnering with the Lehigh Valley Zoo, we will be able to get accreditation from implementing our VR technology to help teach about the sustainability of wildlife. Since The Lehigh Valley zoo is part of an association of Zoos and Aquariums, they will help connect us to similar facilities looking to expand their educational goals. Since their motive is to teach about wildlife preservation, we could help in further emphasizing the importance of animals in the world through games which will enrich the experience by making it fun and interactive.
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- Lehigh County Parks & Recreation Office
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- Partnering with the Lehigh County Parks and Recreation Office would connect us to a broad network of art museums, historical sights, and colleges, giving us an opportunity to market our product to a wider target audience. They might be willing to partner with us because their passion for nature and providing diverse recreational activities aligns with our goals of providing knowledge about sustainability in a fun, engaging way.
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- Trexler Environmental Center
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- Partnering with the Trexler Environmental Center would broaden our network of environmental institutions as it houses satellite offices for the County Parks Department and PA Bureau of Forestry. They might be willing to partner with us because of their passion for environmental education programs they run through their center, which have a similar aim to our venture: providing engaging, educational content about the environment and how to act sustainably.