Invasive Species Impact on Biodiversity with Integrated AI Elements

Overview

Students study how invasive species affect native populations and how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used against them, working through a PAL3 module. They first learn how Google's Teachable Machine works from short videos, then read about invasive grasses and the Maui wildfires and watch a case study of zebra mussels in the Hudson River. After reading an article on AI-based monitoring, students photograph local species or use biome pictures, identify them with Google Lens, and train Teachable Machine to distinguish invasive from native species. They finish by researching one invasive species and creating a digital poster on its impact and a proposed AI-based response. Phases are timed from one-third of a day (engagement) to four days (evaluation).

Lesson Objectives

• Explain with evidence how invasive species affect populations of other species within ecosystems. Students will be able to describe how artificial intelligence and machine learning are being used as a design solution for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services in fighting invasive species. Students will be able to explain the problem that invasive species pose to native populations and offer a design solution idea to help fight these invasive species incorporating how innovative STEM technologies can be used within the fight. Lesson Description Within this unit, students will work on Invasive Species and an AI module on PAL3--Personalized Assistant for Lifelong Learning (a program designed by the Learning Sciences Department at The Institute for Creative Technologies). This module will integrate web-based resources, multiple choice, and Open Tutor (an AI tutor interactive chat) to learn all about how innovations in AI and Machine Learning are helping to fight invasive species. Students will explore how AI/Machine Learning work. They will then learn about invasive species and the impact these have on native populations of species and how AI/Machine Learning is being used as a design solution in the fight against invasive species. Students will have a chance to train Google’s Teachable Machine to recognize invasive and native species before doing research on a specific species. With their research, they will create a digital poster to explain the impacts this specific invasive species is having on native populations in the area it has been found in. They will develop an idea about how AI, Machine Learning, or other technologies could be used as a design solution in rapid response to this invasive species.