EXPEDITION IN A BOX is a playful new science experience that transforms a traditional medium, the puzzle, into a technology-empowered, animated space for intergenerational discovery and exploration of key environmental concerns, such as our understanding of and relationship with ice.
Project vision: The aim of our EXPEDITION IN A BOX project is to inspire and educate the next generation about key environmental issues, fostering a focus on sustained climate action. We aspire to demonstrate the value of scientific research, encouraging young minds to pursue careers in STEM while deepening their understanding of the environmental changes shaping our world. As part of a multi-disciplinary team at The Australian National University, we take an innovative, hands-on approach to science education – bringing research to life through art and technology.
Move your phone over the shapes you create, following the instructions on a beautiful set of cards, and be amazed by stunning animations and breathtaking insights into how science studies and communicates about ice in the face of climate change – its past, its growing fragility and its hopeful future. A box that makes ice science and research accessible anywhere, anytime! Designed for inclusion in school curricula and broader science education programs across Australia, EXPEDITION IN A BOX will become a series of interactive learning experiences. Future editions of EXPEDITIONS IN A BOX can take you deep into the ocean and into outer space, with the aim of raising environmental awareness through awe and wonder, technology and play.
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Young people engage with information/data through technology, this is why our EXPEDITION IN A BOX project transforms a traditional puzzle into an interactive, technology-enhanced learning experience. Through animated storytelling and immersive digital content, users engage with key scientific concepts in a dynamic and memorable way. The initial focus of EXPEDITION IN A BOX is ice – its role in the environment, its significance in climate science, and the impact of climate change on polar regions. Participants receive a set of instructional cards guiding them to create specific shapes which they then scan using a phone or tablet. This unlocks a series of animations and scientific insights, illustrating the vital role of ice and the consequences of its decline.
Original conversation and initial development of our ‘Expedition in a Box’ project took place as part of the 2023–2024 Silbersalz Science & Media Program, a competitive one‑year creative development program focused on science–art–media research engagement.
Discover our partner, Episod Studio, a UK-based studio developing and designing artful impact games!
We’d love your support for this exciting project! Feel free to reach out to Anna-Sophie at: anna-sophie.jurgens@anu.edu.au – she’d be thrilled to hear from you!
