Marine Virtual Reality Project Visits MBHS
From Monday, Sept. 9 to Friday, Sept. 13 the biology classes were delighted with a visit from CSU Monterey Bay. Four college students and one professor visited our school on Monday to introduce a special project: the marine life VR project.
This project initially began before the COVID-19 pandemic, but was not able to come to life, due to the lockdown. But after the quarantine, the group revised the project again and are now happy to present it. The leader of the group, a former pirate, was especially happy about presenting this experience to our school.
Three weeks ago, a few divers took a dive in Monterey Bay and took videos of the species and surroundings. These videos were transformed into a 3D model to watch on the computer and on the VR glasses. Through the lens of the VR goggles, students experienced the natural habitat of marine life.
In their biology classes, students watched those videos and 3D Models, analyzing and observing the species that they saw. Having a chance to see the wildlife up close with the VR glasses gave students the opportunity to get familiar with the way marine scientists work and expand their knowledge.
“I hope it sparks an interest in diving or being involved in scientific dives,“ Mr. Taylor said, talking about the experiences the students gained. The students seemed amazed by this project, being fully immersed in it. “It was cool to see how they [divers/scientists] worked the program and took the data,” the students said about the project. “I would definitely recommend this project, it was a super cool experience and I liked doing it.” The teacher recommends this VR project if you are interested in diving and want to experience underwater life. The students of Mr. Taylor’s class said, "I would love to do it again, but maybe with a different habitat, like a coral reef.”
This project initially began before the COVID-19 pandemic, but was not able to come to life, due to the lockdown. But after the quarantine, the group revised the project again and are now happy to present it. The leader of the group, a former pirate, was especially happy about presenting this experience to our school.