Can nature teach children to question AI? Pennsylvania Mushroom Explorers is built around a simple idea: a screen may offer the first answer, but nature holds the evidence.
Children are growing up with AI systems that respond quickly and confidently. What they need is not only the ability to ask questions, but also the habit of asking, “How do I know this is true?” Nature teaches that habit through observation, comparison, patience, and humility.
Mushrooms make this lesson vivid. Pennsylvania is America’s leading mushroom producing state, yet many species look strikingly alike. One photograph may hide the gills, pores, texture, habitat, or other clues needed for reliable identification. Even a confident AI answer may be wrong, or impossible to verify without more evidence.
If funded, I will create a family science adventure this fall, proposed for The Arboretum at Penn State. Children and caregivers will investigate AI Mushroom Mysteries. AI will make a confident claim, but families will not be told whether it is correct. They will examine specimens, use microscopes, consult field guides, observe habitat and structure, and ask a knowledgeable guide. They will then choose AGREE, DISAGREE, or NEED MORE EVIDENCE and explain why.
After an award, I will seek guidance and specimen support from Penn State’s Mushroom Research Center and Mushroom Spawn Lab. Wild mushrooms at the Arboretum will enrich the experience, but the program will not depend on finding them.
The grant will fund one flagship event and create a reusable Mushroom Evidence Lab at The Arboretum at Penn State, with reviewed cases, microscopes, guides, passports, badges, station materials, and a facilitator guide for future programs.
I will receive no compensation. The Arboretum gave me my first opportunity to design science experiences for children after I arrived in Pennsylvania in 2024. This project is my way of giving back by helping Centre County families test AI answers through observation, reliable sou