Wednesday, December 12, 2007
D0605

Pest Private Eye: An interactive learning game about pests and integrated pest management

Clyde Ogg, cogg1@unl.edu1, Erin Bauer, ebauer2@unl.edu1, Melanie Eirich, meirich1@unl.edu2, Vishal Singh, vsingh2@unl.edu2, Nino Kapetanovic, nkapetanovic2@unl.edu2, and Heather Dahm, hdahm2@unl.edu2. (1) University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Agronomy and Horticulture, 101 Natural Resources Hall, Lincoln, NE, (2) University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Communication and Information Technology, 102 Agricultural Communication Building, Lincoln, NE

Encouraging the use of integrated pest management (IPM) in schools has become increasingly important for ensuring the safety of children and the quality of school environments. During late spring and summer of 2007, through summer reading and other programs, the University of Nebraska−Lincoln Extension piloted an educational role-playing video game, Pest Private Eye and the Case of IPM in Schools, which showcases Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This game teaches children and educators in Nebraska public libraries, K-12 schools, and 4-H about pests and the tools necessary to successfully control them using IPM. Through pilot testing survey feedback we are making improvements to the game, and upon producing a final version, will release it for distribution to Nebraska schools and public libraries. This poster discusses the purpose, target audience, and use of the game. The game is available online (http://citnews.unl.edu/pestgame/), as is an accompanying Web site (http://schoolipm.unl.edu/pestpi/). The overall goals of the Pest PI project are to increase student and educator knowledge about IPM and encourage its use; enrich human health and safety by reducing risks associated with pests and pesticide use; increase energy savings through use of IPM methods; and improve environmental quality.