Playing in the UGA Sandbox: Incorporating Augmented Reality into Weather and Climate Classes

As technology further advances into the future, the need for innovative teaching methods grows ever steadily. VR and AR technologies have been very effective in demonstrating hard-to-grasp concepts in multiple disciplines, but their potential is still underexplored in atmospheric sciences. The 3D Active Teaching Tool for Learning Atmospheric Science (3D-ATTLAS), using a sandbox created and developed at the Center for Geospatial Research at the University of Georgia (UGA), is a next step toward the reinvention of conventional teaching approaches and methods through augmented reality.

Weather and climate data, both observations and models, are inherently 3D, from the ground to the top of the atmosphere and around the world. However, it is difficult for students to grasp the multidimensional nature of weather and climate from static textbook images and 2D weather maps. The development of five different 3D-ATTLAS modules on wind, temperature, and weather events will attempt to overcome these hurdles by providing a hands-on, interactive learning system for students to better perceive difficult atmospheric problems. These modules involve students by literally having them move and shape sand in the sandbox, which can represent surfaces ranging from mountain topography to the "topography" of pressure or heights in the free atmosphere.

This presentation will include animations and videos depicting the use of the sandbox in the classroom, and initial feedback on the success of this educational experiment.