UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa — Penn State's Center for Pollinator Research and the Insect Biodiversity Center, both at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, and the Department of Graphic Design at the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture have formed a partnership, funded by the Apes Valentes Program, to develop, design and produce materials to help increase awareness of pollinator biodiversity, the importance of pollinators to food security and ecosystem health, and strategies that can be used to support pollinators in urban, agricultural and natural landscapes.

“Our partnership was meaningful in many ways,” said Phil Choo, department head and professor of graphic design. “Most importantly, graphic design students learned how to work with scientists collaboratively, learn about the significance of pollination, and appreciate their impacts on our human lives. It was inspiring to see how our past collaborations have enhanced and transformed our student learnings and yielded outstanding outcomes.”

In Spring 2021, three graduate students from the ART571 Graphic Design II Studio Course, led by Professor Huiwon Lim, participated in this program. Anjana Padmakumar’s project, "Beeism: Visualizing Bee Hive Activity," was selected for the Silver Award at the 2022 New Talent Graphic Design competition, while Shatakshi Mehra’s project, "A Blooming Story," and Blake Thresher’s project, "Good Plants: Visualizing the Impact of Plants on Pollinators," received Honorable Mentions.  These projects were inspired by research conducted by Penn State postdoctoral fellow Gabriela Quinlan and graduate student Emily Erickson.

In Fall 2021, Ryan Russell, associate professor of graphic design, mentored undergraduate students in his GD301: Experience Design Process + Methods, to develop projects to increase engagement and enhance the educational experience at the Pollinator and Bird Garden at The Arboretum at Penn State. Harland Patch, the director of pollinator programming at the Arboretum, provided guidance on pollinator biology, ecology, management and conservation, as well as insider information about the unique features within the Arboretum to help the students develop their concepts and designs. Teams of two worked together to create unique user experiences to promote the "hidden world of the Arboretum." Each group identified a specific target demographic, developed appropriate user scenarios, and designed materials to engage the target audience within a specific physical location. The goal of the project was to create a meaningful and interactive learning experience for Arboretum visitors.

Seven projects were completed. Deliverables included graphical displays, collectible cards, and books about pollinators and conservation; games to teach players about the behaviors and ecological roles of different pollinators; and a program to simulate the environment through the eyes of the pollinators to help visitors better understand how different species experience the Pollinator and Bird Garden.

“Biological science and environmental stewardship are implicit in every element of the Bird and Pollinators Garden, but this ‘hidden’ content is not readily obvious to the general public,” said Patch. “The student design teams have done a remarkable job of distilling complex biology and connecting to diverse audiences. It has become increasingly clear that our present, and our future, require close collaboration between the arts and sciences. This is something we hope to cultivate at Penn State. It is also great fun to work with teams outside of your own field.”

In Spring 2023, Choo plans to lead the graduate course with students from the Stuckeman School, including three departments: Architecture, Graphic Design, and Landscape Architecture. Teams of graduate students will design user experiences of Penn State’s Frost Entomological Museum and promote its engagement with broader communities.

“This program is a wonderful demonstration of the inspiring collaborations that we are able to form across the arts and sciences at Penn State,” said Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology and director of the Center for Pollinator Research and Insect Biodiversity Center. "I am excited to see what new ideas the students explore this fall!”