Nexus Island ESA Extension in non-formal settings

Non-formal educational use of Nexus Island

As part of the TREC Mission, another version of Nexus Island was developed. This version is designed for shorter sessions and public events, featuring four large ESA cards that introduce Earth observation data from space as tools to address environmental issues. Through these big ESA cards, participants explore the role of the Copernicus Sentinel satellites, which are delivering important space-based data to monitor algal blooms and assess their effects on coastal ecosystems. 

The big ESA cards are designed to structure a focused workshop session through these 3 stages:

• Engage: Start with the story or association game to spark curiosity about environmental challenges and how science can help address them
• Study: Use game cards to introduce the use of Earth Observation data and explore space-based tools for understanding key ecological concepts.
• Activate: Challenge participants to apply their knowledge by tackling real-world problems and planning ecosystem recovery using satellite data featured on the cards.

This game-based resources on the exploration of ecosystems was used in the TREC Mission (April 2023 to end of July 2024). TRaversing European Coastlines (TREC) is an international, highly collaborative scientific expedition, investigating effects of changing environments on organisms and communities at cellular and molecular levels. Nexus Island workshops were delivered in partnership with museums, research institutes and schools as part of TREC. Several TREC partners continue to offer Nexus Island workshops, and the game is also still used widely as a science education resource.

Learning objectives of the Nexus Island ESA Extension

• Get exposed to science as a process to understand the natural world and
   approach global challenges
• Understand how Earth observation satellites can be used to monitor ecosystems and biodiversity

Subjects

Related topics

Biology, chemistry, Earth sciences, ecology, geography, physics, social sciences, technology.

Biodiversity, organism classification, sampling, ecosystem dynamics, adaptation. Water quality, coastal protection, marine pollution, ocean currents. Algae, Phosphorous/Nitrogen cycle in a lake/water body, Nitrogen and Phosphorous as nutrients, eutrophication, food chain. Earth observation, space and technology, satellites, remote sensing, electromagnetic spectrum. The human eye. Planetary health and sustainability, sustainable cities and sustainable development, human impact, climate change, risks.

• Type of resource: Game-based teaching resource
• Duration: 45 min/ 55min
• Participants: 8–24 participants, divided in four teams
• Age Groups: suggested from 14 years old
• Resource package
• Languages: The ESA Extension Cards are currently available in English, Catalan, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

What’s included in the resource package?

The resource package includes:

• Nexus Island Facilitator Manual - including story line and instruction 
• Algae bloom image - printable to show ask participants what event occurs on the island
• Island map – Printable files of four island quadrants consisting of Nature, City, Agriculture, and Industry
• Deck of Nexus Island Game Cards – Information-rich cards linked to each habitat
• Deck of ESA Extension Cards – introducing satellites and how space can contribute to monitor and solve environmental issues

Game structure and flow

The game’s story guides participants through exploring Nexus Island and learning about Earth Observation data from satellites, helping them understand how this data addresses events like algal blooms.

The game is structured into four parts, driven by a narrative that supports deep engagement. 

Before getting started, participants sit down on the carpet and can get an impression of the game by analysing what they see. Pre-defined questions which can be found in the EMBL Nexus Island Facilitator Manual can help to engage the participants.) You can start asking what comes to their mind when they hear about ‘’scientists’’ and ‘’citiziens’’. During the game, students will learn more about the roles and definition of these two words (5min).

In the first part, the fictional first day,participants are divided into four teams, each exploring one quadrant of the island using the game cards following the tasks given in the read-out story. Detailed instructions are provided in the EMBL Nexus Island - Facilitator Manual. The story spans over 3 Nexus Island days and invite students to identify organisms and investigate their adaptations and ecological roles and discuss cross-quadrant similarities and anthropogenic impacts (10 min).

In the second part of the game, the second ‘’day’’ in the story line, an algae bloom is introduced, and participants have to identify the event by investigating the image provided in the resource package. In the same part, the ESA cards are introduced, too. With the help of these cards, participants compare the area before and while the algae bloom is occurring. Participants will discuss which organism might have caused the algae bloom in the context of the game and will understand why the bloom happened and what the consequences for the whole island are (10 min).

In the third part, the fictional third day on Nexus Island, participants collaborate and propose solutions to advise actions to the City Council of Nexus Island. They discuss different actions for balancing the ecosystem and reflect on the role of humans in ecosystem recovery (10 min).

In the final conclusive part, an overview of what participants have done is given and related to the context of the TREC expedition is provided. More information about the mission is summarised in the EMBL Nexus Island Facilitator Manual. If you have started the game with the question about what a scientists and citizen is, you can close the game by asking the question again and evaluate the differences between the answers before and after the participant's involvement in Nexus Island.

Delivery tips

1. Introduce the island and its story: Start by engaging participants with Nexus Island’s narrative. Use the carpet to spark curiosity and ask questions like “What is the name of this island and what does Nexus mean?’’ or “In how many and which parts is the island divided?’’
2. Explore and study the environment: Use the materials while following the storyline to navigate the island, investigating flora, fauna, and environmental issues by using game cards. Employ the study during this phase by guiding participants to analyse data, answer comprehension questions, or discuss cause-effect relationships related to ecosystem health.
3. Problem-solve and make decisions: As participants encounter events on Nexus Island, they can apply their knowledge in decision-making tasks. This knowledge could also come from satellite data included in the ESA Extension cards that monitoring ecosystem can be used for providing solution to the issues encountered on the Island.
4. Collaborate and reflect: Encourage teamwork by having participants share their strategies and reflect on the consequences of their choices. This phase reinforces learning through peer interaction and critical reflection.