24-8 Fossils and Fantasy: A Engaging Activity Combining Dungeons and Dragons with Paleontology Outreach

Session: Transforming Geoscience Education: Reimagining how we teach the Earth (Posters)

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In times of low student enrollment, geoscientists are looking for new and engaging ideas to recruit students and encourage young scientists to consider the Earth sciences as a viable future career path. In many ways, informal education is a gateway for students to explore various fields and make enjoyable memories that can influence their future endeavors (Kim and Dopico, 2016; Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014; Kitchen et al., 2018). At the University of Missouri, we are seeing a steady decline in both undergraduate and graduate geology majors (University of Missouri University Data, Analytics, and Institutional Research, 2025). Thus, finding ways to connect to young students is critical in recruitment efforts, perhaps now more than in the past. While we have ample scientific outreach opportunities, many of our activities are basic and rely on lecturing students on fun facts, rather than engaging them in a memorable experience. Several informal programs have used pop culture to create memorable science learning experiences. To improve our informal education programs, we developed Fossils and Fantasy, a hands-on activity for youth ages 5-12. This pilot educational activity combines the fantastical creatures of D&D and an immersive experience with scientific practices used in paleontology. With the unique and creative creatures of D&D, we will be able to connect with students through their imagination and relate them to their real-life counterparts. At the Columbia Young Scientists Expo, students engaged with a sediment-filled storage tote paired with a backdrop modeled after a rock outcrop preserving fossils of the game’s fantasy creatures. Students were able to “uncover the fossils” by brushing the sediment away and using actual tools that paleontologists use in the field. Each student was provided with a booklet describing how paleontologists identify fossils, how organisms and their parts fossilize, what the fantasy creatures look like, and short-answer activities that help students think deeper about how these creatures look (and how to identify them!) when fossilized. Preliminary results provides insight between students’ perspectives on science and their engagement with the activity. Future work will incorporate realistic props and immersive environmental design elements to support experiential, play-based learning and promote sustained student engagement.

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