NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
June 8, 2020

CONTACT:  
San Diego Zoo Global 
Public Relations
619-685-3291

WEBSITE:    
Zoo.SanDiegoZoo.org/Biodiversity-and-You

NEWS RELEASE

San Diego Unified School District Takes Their STEAM Biodiversity and You Program Virtual at the San Diego Zoo

Biodiversity was the lesson topic during a San Diego Unified School District livestream field trip connecting more than 100 online students to conservation education experts at the San Diego Zoo. This unique virtual experience, called “Biodiversity and You at the Zoo”—part of the district’s overall online program and the STEAM Leadership Series—was created in partnership with San Diego Zoo Global.

The “Biodiversity and You at the Zoo” program modified the original in-person format after school district officials were forced to halt field trips to the Zoo during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participating students were provided access to San Diego Zoo Global Academy web portal—an online learning platform that offers courses created by subject-matter experts from top zoological and wildlife conservation institutions. After completing learning modules on giraffes and elephants, students were shown a 30-minute multispecies biodiversity video by Zoo wildlife educators, then invited to attend a virtual field trip to the Zoo that offered a behind-the scenes look at elephants and giraffes, with insightful information from wildlife care specialists, Robbie Clark and Emily Jensen.

“Since the school district previously discussed the possibility of doing a streaming experience, moving to a virtual field trip model when restrictions were put in place was the logical step,” said Nate Sachdeva, program manager for Partnerships and Adult Education College, Career and Technical Education at San Diego Unified School District. “The San Diego Zoo became the perfect place to unveil this amazing idea, and to explore ways to implement a similar program in the fall.” 

The STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) Leadership Series is a program helping city educators bring high school students together with leaders in science and business. The goal is to provide students with some of the knowledge and skills necessary for high-demand technical careers. Across 18 major events, thousands of students have interacted with experienced San Diego science and high-tech executives, Nobel laureates, inventors and entrepreneurs from a range of industries, including those specializing in unmanned vehicles and drones, satellite communications, biotech, green tech and blue tech, video gaming, software and sports. STEAM Leadership Series officials said environmental studies and biodiversity provided the students another avenue of learning—and because of the program’s technical origins, moving online was a natural fit. 

“The environment, climate change and biodiversity are part of the core mission of the Leadership Series,” said Steve Chapple, executive director for the STEAM Leadership Series. “To have California’s second largest school system partner with one of the country’s top zoological and conservation organizations in such a manner allowed us to quickly change directions, and develop this virtual program in a groundbreaking and robustly developed way.”

Biodiversity is defined by scientists as the variety of life on Earth and its interactions. Environmental experts have explained that there are several levels of biodiversity, including genetic diversity, species diversity and ecological diversity. Included are the assortment of ways that species interact with each other and their environment, and the many functions and services ecosystems provide, such as food, clean water, timber, pollination, soil formation and nutrient cycling—along with regulation of climate effects, floods and disease. 

“It’s important that we educate students about biodiversity, especially San Diego’s unique environmental position,” said Maya O’Connor, wildlife educator at the San Diego Zoo. “San Diego County is one of only 36 areas worldwide known as biodiversity hotspots, due to the large number of endemic species that live here and the threats that many of those species currently face.”

Although biodiversity hotspots cover less than 3% of the planet’s land surface, they include more than half of the world’s plant species and more than 40% of bird, mammal, reptile and amphibian species. 

The STEAM Leadership Series is a program of Intellectual Capital and Kids Eco Club, in partnership with the San Diego Unified School District, with support from The Moxie Foundation, Farrell Family Foundation, the USS Midway Museum, Samuel Lawrence Foundation and title sponsor The San Diego Foundation. For more information on the San Diego Unified STEAM Leadership Series, visit steamleadership.com. The San Diego Zoo Global Academy is free for students and teachers until June 18. Those wishing to participate can access 22, self-paced online courses, covering a variety of taxonomic groups and individual animal species, by visiting SDZGlobalAcademy.org

ABOUT SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
San Diego Unified serves more than 121,000 students in pre-school through grade 12 and is the second largest district in California. The student population is extremely diverse, representing more than 15 ethnic groups and more than 60 languages and dialects. Since its founding on July 1, 1854, the district has grown from a small, rented school building with one teacher to its current size—more than 226 educational facilities with 13,559 employees. Nearly 6,000 teachers are in classrooms at the district's various educational facilities, which include 117 traditional elementary schools, 9 K-8 schools, 24 traditional middle schools, 22 high schools, 49 charter schools, 13 atypical/ alternative schools and 5 additional program sites. 

The San Diego Unified School District is proud to call itself one of the top large urban school districts in the United States. Measures include its top scores on state and national tests, its leadership in areas such as technology, curriculum, neighborhood and specialty schools, career-technical education and food services. Its graduates include Hall of Fame sports stars, along with some of the nation's top scientists, writers and leaders.

ABOUT SAN DIEGO ZOO GLOBAL
Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the goal of San Diego Zoo Global. As a leader in conservation, the work of San Diego Zoo Global includes on-site wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, as well as international field programs on six continents. The work of these entities is made accessible to over 1 billion people annually, reaching 150 countries via social media, our websites and the San Diego Zoo Kids network, in children’s hospitals in 12 countries. The work of San Diego Zoo Global is made possible with support from our incredible donors committed to saving species from the brink of extinction.

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