Journal of STEM outreach最新文献

This paper examines the perspectives of Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA) participants as they navigate through their West Virginia (WV) high school learning environments (i.e., in-person, blended/hybrid, complete virtual) during the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. In March of 2020, the participants in this out-of-school-time (OST) academic enrichment program for exceptionally driven, yet underprivileged, at-risk students, with over 70% living in rural areas, started receiving remote learning instruction through learning management systems or via paper packets. In August of 2020, school systems provided parents and caregivers alternative learning environments for their student(s). In order to understand the learning experiences of HSTA students during these unprecedented times, HSTA released the 2020 Learning Outcomes Survey to participants in December of 2020. We performed chi-square test of independence to test the relationship between participants' learning environments, their satisfaction with the education they were receiving, their ability to keep up with their school-work, teacher availability to help when needed and teacher feedback supporting them in their learning environment. The results show significant differences between the learning environments and keeping up with school-work as well as teacher feedback supporting them in their learning; however, Phi and Cramer's V tests for effect size show weak correlations. This study provides a small glimpse into HSTA students' learning experiences as they attempted to continue to learn in their regular school environment during the COVID-19 pandemic while in HSTA.

The Appalachian Career Training In ONcology or ACTION Program is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Youth Enjoy Science (YES) research education grant program that recruits and trains early-career undergraduate and high school students from underrepresented, socioeconomically distressed areas of Appalachian Kentucky in cancer research and outreach. The two-year program is a multifaceted experience that includes participation in cross-disciplinary, mentored cancer research projects. In addition to research projects, participants also shadow faculty mentors in clinical medical settings, engage in multiple types of educational activities, and participate in cancer-focused outreach projects within their communities. Participants also engage in peer-to-peer networking and receive career mentorship, training, and coaching. Highlights of program activities include a student-led photovoice project to promote cancer awareness and participant publications including a book featuring participant essays focused on their experiences and thoughts on cancer. Initial impact data show high school participants have a higher than state and county average four-year college-going rate and all undergraduate participants are gaining positive outcomes related to educational and career attainment. This article provides an overview of the significant benefits of the ACTION Program, the program's activities, and highlights from program implementation. Potential impacts of the program and barriers to implementation are also shared.

The objective of our program is to foster and facilitate authentic research experiences in middle and high school classrooms. We achieve this directly by providing students with a complete experience in scientific experimentation and communication. The centerpiece is a set of experiment modules which students use to investigate the effects of toxic chemicals on living organisms through the use of model organisms such as the earthworm, fathead minnow, and the zebrafish, and chemical contaminants commonly found in the environment. In parallel, we partner with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee science teacher certification program to prepare pre-service teachers to offer real research experiences in their future classrooms. With the COVID virus restricting or eliminating in-person learning, the program's challenge was (i) to create new ways to conduct experiments virtually that retain elements of the authentic research experience and (ii) to move all of the accompanying facets of the program to online formats. This paper will describe the new online materials and activities that were introduced this past year as well as the challenges they presented and the opportunities that they offer for the future.

Informal science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs are important tools for broadening participation in STEM careers. The St. Jude STEM Club (SJSC) is a 10-week afterschool STEM club focused on real-world problems in pediatric cancer research and designed for students in the fifth grade. The SJSC is conducted in partnership with the Shelby County Schools (SCS), an urban school district that encompasses Memphis, TN and serves a disproportionate number of students from underrepresented backgrounds in science. In this report, we provide details on the club logistics, curriculum, pilot data and outcomes related to club impact on student attitudes towards science, and challenges and limitations of the program. Participants in the program reported significantly higher rates of STEM engagement, STEM identity, critical thinking, perseverance, and relationships with peers and adults compared to national normative data. This program description is intended to serve as a resource for other institutions wanting to use a similar strategy to broaden participation in STEM careers.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the McWane Science Center have partnered for over 20 years to provide secondary students in Alabama opportunities to conduct inquiry-based, standards-aligned science labs. LabWorks (middle school) and GENEius (high school) programs offer multiple research laboratory experiences in which students explore molecular biology, physical science, genetics, engineering, anatomy, and forensic science, with associated summer professional development for teachers: BioTeach and GeoTeach. These programs each attract 3,000-4,000 participants annually. This partnership has been synergistic, allowing the science center to offer high-level secondary science programming, while giving the university a conduit into the K-12 world. Originally, these programs were developed through Howard Hughes Medical Institute funding, and then expanded through support from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the US Department of Education. These programs have excited secondary students and teachers about science education and careers, provided authentic science experiences, and given teachers the opportunity to experience a model of learning that engages students in "real science" closely linked to their curriculum. For over 20 years, this unique, evolving partnership has increased the understanding of over 90,000 students and teachers relative to the opportunities that science and STEM careers hold.

The Health Sciences and Technology Academy's, (HSTA) goals are to increase college attendance of African American, financially disadvantaged, first generation college and rural Appalachian youth and increase health-care providers and STEM professionals in underserved communities. Students enter in the 9th grade and remain in HSTA four years. They engage in a rigorous academic program within the nurturing environment of small after-school clubs punctuated by yearly summer camps on multiple college campuses. A distinctive piece of HSTA is its students' development of research projects under the mentorship of teachers and researchers that examine and address health issues faced by their communities. The projects help HSTA students to understand the health dynamics in their local community, transforming them into community advocates who address health and social issues at home as they prepare to move on to college and beyond. Substantial in-state tuition waivers inspire 99% of the 3,021 HSTA graduates to attend college versus 56% of WV high school graduates. Approximately 85% of matriculating HSTA students graduate with a four-year degree or higher versus less than 50% of all college entrants. To date, 57% of HSTA students go into health and other STEM majors, much higher than the state and national figures.

The Flipped Science Fair (FSF) transforms the traditional science fair format by having middle-school students judge the research of early career scientists. At the FSF, students learn about cutting-edge research in a small group setting, with opportunities to ask questions and participate in hands-on demonstrations. By placing the students in the role of the "judge," the event gives students the opportunity to engage with scientists interactively and with authority. The FSF also provides science communication training for the presenting scientists. Leading up to the event, the presenters attend three workshops focused on distilling their research message to a middle-school level. The FSF effectively promoted science engagement by middle school students who expressed increased interest in science after the event. Moreover, presenters reported an improvement in their science communication skills to a broad audience and increased confidence during public speaking. Our partnership with Pathways to Science, Yale's coordinated STEM outreach infrastructure, enables us to measure the FSF's effectiveness long term, since the Pathways program tracks student trajectories through their college education. The success of the FSF led to the organization of satellite and virtual events, which provided more opportunities for public engagement and gave presenters additional chances to share their research.

The Life Sciences Learning Center (LSLC) is a hands-on science outreach center located at the University of Rochester's School of Medicine and Dentistry (UR-SMD) in Rochester, NY. The LSLC provides hands-on, case-based learning to boost science literacy and increase enthusiasm toward science learning. The LSLC offers on-site and in-school programs for secondary students (grades 6-12) and has developed a wide variety of online curriculum materials that can be used in science classrooms and informal education settings. The LSLC is a model for sustainability with over 20 years of funding through a combination of sources including numerous grant awards from National Institutes of Health (NIH) and private foundations. The LSLC was awarded its first of five NIH Science Education Partnership Awards (SEPA) in 1998, which would prove to be a key funding source for sustainability. The LSLC has widely disseminated its curriculum materials nationwide through teacher professional development programs and online. An ongoing partnership with Science Take-Out has led to further dissemination of LSLC's curriculum materials and has strengthened LSLC's model for curriculum development and evaluation. The LSLC has evolved over the years to meet the changing needs of teachers and their students and the increased demands for hands-on, inquiry-based learning that focuses on real-life issues in STEM.

Early elementary students are not typically introduced to science-specific disciplinary literacies - the specific ways in which scientists use and interpret language - even though authentic experiences with literacy strategies and tools used within the field may help incorporate learners into the scientific community of practice. The lack of freely available easy-to-use resources to build these literacies in the early elementary classroom may be a contributing factor. The Authentic Literacy and Language (ALL) for Science curriculum framework was developed as a deliberate approach to teach disciplinary literacies in the context of science using three distinct components: Science Investigations, Mini-lessons, and Science Inquiry Circles. Here we outline the development of the curriculum framework and a pilot of a 2^nd grade unit based on the framework to teach concepts related to heredity and life cycles. We present findings from the pilot and discuss future directions and implications for the development and implementation of curricular materials using the ALL for Science curriculum framework.

Sports-related concussions affect over 280,000 adolescents each year while the general public remains ill-informed about concussions, signs/symptoms, and treatments. Adolescents may be at an increased risk for experiencing adverse physiological and psychological effects from concussions, underscoring the critical need for effective concussion education strategies. While mobile apps are increasingly being used in education and healthcare settings, none were found to offer comprehensive concussion education capable of reaching diverse audiences. The interactive mobile app "Rebound: Beating Concussions" has the potential to be an effective teaching tool for school athletic programs and medical professionals to communicate important concussion-related information to student athletes, parents, and sports coaches. A mixed methods study was used to determine the app's ability to convey information about concussions to student athletes in grades 5 through 12, parents of student athletes, and sports coaches. Concussion knowledge and participant opinions were assessed via a pre/post model and administered before and after app use. Participants demonstrated knowledge gains in the identification of concussion symptoms, treatments, and misconceptions. Additionally, participants demonstrated positive opinions on the content of the app, its relevance to everyday life, and its potential as a teaching tool.