Environmental education in focus: Founding team revolutionizes learning with media!

Environmental education in focus: Founding team revolutionizes learning with media!

A year ago, on April 4, 2024, the company Project Biosphere was founded. The initiators are Vincent Fritzen, Sebastian Holt and Felix Przesdzink, all of whom have a connection to the University of Osnabrück. The foundation emerged from the university's biology didactics department and specializes in the production of innovative educational media on environmental and sustainability topics. Prof. Dr. Kai-Uwe Kühnberger, Vice President for Research at the university, highlighted the mutual benefits for the founders and the institution. Sonja Schulze, the university's transfer officer, emphasized the importance of this spin-off for the university and science.

The founding team combines scientific expertise with pedagogical skills and creative media design. Felix Przesdzink, who is working on his doctorate, focuses on networking environmental protection actors. Vincent Fritzen and Sebastian Holt, both graduates of a teaching degree in biology, also bring experience in the development of didactic materials and multimedia content. While Fritzen also took a minor in physics, Holt chose art as an additional subject.

Innovative educational projects

A key project of Project Biosphere was the Costa Rica virtual excursion that took place in 2022 and has now been converted into a YouTube series called “Discovering Costa Rica” for 2023/24. The team received support from Dr. Florian Fiebelkorn, an expert in biology didactics. The projects that have already been implemented include the educational medium “Slime in Biology”, which was developed in collaboration with the Institute for Film and Image in Science and Teaching gGmbH.

The founders are currently working on several projects, including an educational medium on climate-friendly land use in moors and a “learning adventure” on biodiversity. A multimedia learning platform is also being developed while a television documentary is being prepared. The team's vision is to create scientifically sound, visually appealing and didactically high-quality educational media. They use modern technologies like drone footage and 360-degree videography to enrich their content.

Collaboration and networking

The close connection to the University of Osnabrück remains a central aspect of the company. This connection supports both the scientific and practical training of future specialists in the field of environmental education. In this context, it is important that young people are actively involved in educational processes about sustainability, as is also the case in the results of the reports Federal Environment Agency emerges. The participation of children and young people in the conception of environmental education programs is crucial for the transformation of society towards sustainability.

A variety of materials and resources are necessary for the development of offers. On the Education Server A variety of educational providers and materials related to environmental education can be viewed. These include platforms such as the German Forest Protection Association, which provides free materials for different age groups and topics. These resources are essential to support training needs and interest in environmental and sustainability issues.

With an optimistic outlook for the future, Project Biosphere plans to actively shape the educational media landscape and make a significant contribution to sustainable development through innovative approaches to environmental education.