Why Zoos and Aquariums Matter is a part of a 20-year-long national, collaborative study designed to understand how zoos and aquariums contribute to American society. Project leaders John Fraser, Joe Heimlich, and Martin Storksdieck will share how the public’s perceptions of and trust in zoos are shaped; findings from a survey on what visitors bring to, do during, and take from their visits; and a summary of how GoPro cameras were used to understand how groups of visitors experienced their zoos and aquaria experiences.

John Fraser of New Knowledge Organization, Ltd. will report on how the public's perceptions of and trust in zoos and aquariums are shaped by words, context, and admission price. Dr. Fraser will also unpack how stories about zoos and aquariums find their way into public discourse and the relationship between STEM communication and the organizational mission.

Joe Heimlich of COSI's Center for Research and Evaluation will share preliminary findings from a survey of visitors across 25 zoos and aquariums exploring what visitors bring to, do during, and take from their visit. Martin Storksdieck of the Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning at Oregon State University will share how his team used video capture and GoPro cameras to help understand how groups of visitors decided where to go and what to do during their visit and made sense of the animals and exhibits with which they interacted.