The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic provides a starting point for empowering young people to understand uses of data science through epidemiology. Through this program, 650 plus underserved youth nationwide have engaged in a 20-hour out-of-school multimedia "Data Detectives Clubs" centered on a project-developed adventure novel, The Case of the COVID Crisis, which is integrated with data activities, modeling, animations, and career exploration.

The New Hampshire Academy of Science ITEST grant began Sept. 1, 2022 and will enable wrap-around programming to provide underrepresented students in underserved rural communities with scientific research experiences along with mentorship and college prep throughout high school, starting at each grade level. We are currently developing recruitment strategies for our first two cohorts. 

The goal of this project is to investigate best ways to prepare the youth to confront future science and engineering problems. A team of educational researchers, science teachers, and scientists investigate the design of educational digital environments to promote engagement, interest, and learning in computation and science. Middle school aged learners are presented with science problems inspired by real-world challenges that are hard to solve and particularly suited to computational solutions with creative thinking skills.

This project provides opportunities for high school teachers to learn how to integrate QIS into their STEM classrooms. Educators attend professional development and then teach what they have learned to students at STEM camps. The learn and practice approach will hopefully allow teachers to be more confident when implementing lessons in their classrooms. 

This one page summary presents the work over the past year as we have transitioned from home-based instructional settings back to in-person and hybrid-settings in the context of engaging our partner youth in learnign about coding, transparent soil, and novel technologies.

CELI uses a networked improvement community (NIC) approach to school-wide transformation, teacher, agency, and minoritized students’ climate science and belonging in two low-income public schools (a middle school and a high school) receiving all of the District’s new-immigrant students in Hayward, CA.

An interdisciplinary team of faculty and staff at Illinois State University (ISU) is collaborating with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and Community-Based-Organizations (CBOs) in four Chicago neighborhoods to develop an after-school STEM program focused on renewable energy, robotics, and automation.

We designed, developed and implemented an innovative, transmedia curriculum (called CryptoComics) to teach 3rd-5th grade African American females and other afterschool learners about cryptography and cybersecurity and related careers. https://theconversation.com/comic-book-introduces-kids-to-key-concepts-and-careers-in-cybersecurity-171163

This project will provide critical insights and research into effective strategies for supporting female students in rural communities, and all students, in exploring STEM careers, and how Universal Design for Learning can play a role in removing barriers and increasing access for a broad range of learners.