Life sciences | STELAR - STEM Learning and Research Center

Data Jam

Curricular Materials

Engaging students with local ecological data in Puerto Rico Data Jam is an initiative of the Luquillo Long -Term Ecological Research (LTER) program. The University of Puerto Rico's Luquillo LTER has compiled decades of data on the El Yunque rainforest ecosystem and made it publicly available. The Data Jam program engages middle and high school students in the process of formulating their own questions about environmental phenomena in El Yunque and then exploring, analyzing, and summarizing long-term data as evidence to support their scientific research questions. Successful Data Jam projects

Luquillo Data Jam: A Powerful Model for Broadening Participation in Science

Publications

The Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program in Puerto Rico has implemented a Data Jam initiative that fosters student engagement in ecological data science. In December 2023, over 175 middle and high school students presented 51 data-driven projects at a symposium in El Yunque National Rainforest. The initiative, rooted in the LTER’s extensive datasets, allows students to develop research questions, analyze data using the CODAP tool, and present findings. The program includes professional development for teachers, with workshops and Virtual Lab Meetings that equip them to guide

Data Stories about Disease

Publications

Epidemiology is the study of patterns of health and illness and how these are distributed in a given population. Combining elements of biology and medical science, sociology, environmental science, and statistics, it could be defined as the intersection of public health and data science. Epidemiology is increasingly relevant to modern life. Worldwide travel, human habitations encroaching on wild lands, and climate change are making epidemics ever more frequent. Meanwhile, political leaders in the US make controversial and often unsupported claims about the causes of chronic diseases. Yet

Drones in Alaska Elementary Curriculum

Curricular Materials

This collection of three teacher's manuals, five videos, and one career exploration guide were created with and for Alaska Native communities as part of the Drone Research and Opportunities for Native Elementary Students project, funded by NSF I-TEST Grant Nos. 1850561 (Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks) and 1850556 (Univ. of Alaska Anchorage). The Drones in Alaska base curriculum has three versions, one with lexicon in Sugs'tun, one with lexicon in Lower Tanana Athabascan, and one with lexicon in Lower Koyukon Athabascan. The Teacher's manual for the Drones in Alaska base curriculum is applicable to

If Indigenous Peoples Stand with the Sciences, Will Scientists Stand with Us?

Publications

Indigenous sciences are foundationally based in relationships, reciprocity, and responsibilities. These sciences constitute systems of knowledge developed through distinct perspectives on and practices of knowledge creation and decision-making that not only have the right to be pursued on their own terms but may also be vital in solving critical twenty-first-century challenges. “Science” is often treated as if it were a single entity, free of cultural influences and value-neutral in principle. Western science is often seen as instantiating and equivalent to this idealized, yet problematic

Creating 3D Plant Models Using Tinkercad and Fusion 360

Curricular Materials

This 3D modeling project addresses the disconnect between science, design and technology, and how high school students can benefit from innovative learning experiences in plant and agriculture sciences that integrate these disciplines while gaining interest in and skills for future STEAM careers. Students use the software Tinkercad or Fusion 360 to create 3D models of species of research importance at the Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, MO. Students work in collaborative teams made of self-identified scientists, technophiles, and artists. A STEAM approach is applied in which

Puffins: Exploring how narrative, data science, and artificial intelligence enhance the study of ecology in middle school

2023 - 2026

The study of puffins can provide a fascinating subject area for the integrated learning of data and ecosystems. Once hunted to local extinction, puffins have made a dramatic yet fragile comeback and been re-established to historic nesting islands in mid-coast Maine. This project combines a

Collaborative Research: Expanding Socio-Environmental Science Investigations with Geospatial Technologies in High Schools

Poster

This project expands from a single site into a multi-university, multi-school teacher professional development and curriculum development initiative for geospatial integration into science, social studies, and STEM courses. Student outcomes addressed include spatial thinking and reasoning and STEM college and career interests.

Robot-Mediated Learning: Exploring School-Deployed Collaborative Robots

Poster

Project Overview: Advance robot-mediated learning in schools and investigate how collaborative tele-robots can facilitate optimal learning experiences.

My STEM Story: Scaling STEM Motivation Through Digital Storytelling and Near Peer Relationships

Poster

The My STEM Story project aims to enhance the identity-based motivation of diverse high school students through their engagement with and reflection on the authentic digital stories of diverse near-peer mentors paving their way in a post-secondary STEM pathway.

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