Park rangers bring iSWOOP to life. In this video, see snippets of park rangers’ programs and hear their reflections.
iSWOOP Programs and research increase engagement with park-based research by increasing opportunities for visitors to hear about such research. iSWOOP sparks new interests among visitors and strives to fuel long-term interest in science, careers in science, publicly-funded research, and National Park Service units as public laboratories for better understanding our natural world.
iSWOOP starts with getting to know the scientists and their research.
Then interpreters translate those experiences into memorable interactions with visitors.
Sample iSWOOP Program plans illustrate how stories about park-based research can take shape. In this guide, you’ll find different formats, different topics, and different styles to inspire you, including:
- Jordan Pond, Did you see anything interesting? Pop up by Jeanine Ferrence
- Written in the Rocks, Walk by Mackette McCormack
- Searching for the Primeval Forest, Evening program by Melinda McFarland
- In the Blink of an Eye, Stationed interpretation by Ellen Trautner
- On Fireflies, Stationed interpretation by Moriah Carmel
- Life in an Indiana Marsh, a wetlands walk featuring amphibian research by Joe Gruzalski
- Conversations about the Wetlands, a wetland rove, by Emmé Elliott
- I Speak for the Trees, a ranger-led walk, by Cynthia Anderson