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Children to Learn about Animal Care through Virtual Reality    

Imagine a setting that sparks children’s natural curiosity – even when it involves serious, real-world challenges. The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Center for Crime Science and Violence Prevention (CCSVP) is turning that spark into learning by teaming up with the St. Louis Zoo Wildcare Park, where young minds can explore and understand complex topics in a hands-on, engaging way. 

At the request of the St. Louis Zoo, CCSVP began working in April on a virtual reality simulation to introduce school-aged children to the new Wildcare Park in North St. Louis County. The simulations are being designed and built by Logan Holland, SIUE computer science student; Manas Das, PhD, incoming SIUE computer science assistant professor; and Dennis Mares, PhD, professor of Criminal Justice Studies and director of CCSVP in Belleville. 

“They wanted us to create a simulation that shows how caretakers feed and care for the animals in the new barns built in Wildcare Park,” said Mares. “The barns have an elaborate pulley system that opens and closes doors, allowing animals in and out of the barns for feeding and other types of care.” 

“We began by taking images of the barn to replicate the textures in the simulation,” he continued. “The zoo provided us with computer-aided design construction drawings in order for us to lay out the barn with the correct dimensions.” 

Holland and Das combined the computer-aided design imagery with the textures derived from the images taken. Then the pair began work on the simulation. The zoo asked the CCSVP team to replicate the pulley system, to let animals enter and exit the barn, and to simulate feeding and cleanup. 

“We recently showed the zoo team the prototype, and with some feedback in hand, Logan and Dr. Das are now finalizing the product,” Mares shared. “The zoo will use the virtual reality simulation to show visitors how they care for animals and give them a taste of what it takes to keep the animals and caretakers safe and happy. We believe the software will provide a great introduction to young people to the complexities of animal care in an environment that is respectful and safe for animals and people alike.” 

The CCSVP team expects the project to be completed and ready for use by the fall. 

Center for Crime Science and Violence Prevention (CCSVP) – The primary focus of SIUE’s CCSVP is to assist all stakeholders in the criminal justice field in their efforts to reduce crime and violence. The Center works with criminal justice agencies, community organizations, vendors, faculty, and students to improve public safety in the St. Louis and Southern Illinois regions. CCSVP provides a range of services, including grant development, data analytics, crime analysis, mapping, dashboard development, and (evaluation) research. 

Photo:
Logan Holland, SIUE computer science student.