This research project would investigate the determinants and consequences of student enrollment in a new Florida program of high school "career academies" intended to integrate rigorous academic curriculum with industry-driven careers. The researchers have created some specific hypotheses about curriculum and school organization and their relationship to choosing STEM careers that can be tested with the study they have designed.

The Harlem Children Society (HC) was established in 2000 with 3 students from 2 schools by a research scientist at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The project now serves 800 students from over 150 schools with 1500 mentors at 150 institutions. HCS seeks NSF support to focus on the critical IT skills involved in bioinformatics, molecular biology, and protein chemistry, and on the innovative uses of technology for collaboration, communication, and community involvement.

The Conference on Cyberlearning Tools for STEM (CyTSE) brings together scientists, cyberlearning developers, educational researchers, STEM educators (formal and informal), curriculum developers and other stakeholders that contribute to the agenda on K-12 STEM cyberlearning and workforce preparation. Collaborators include Northwestern University, University of Colorado at Boulder, and the WGBH Educational Foundation. This informative meeting will be held as a NSTA pre-conference workshop.

The Education Development Center's (EDC) ITEST Learning Resource Center plans to implement a 12-month conference grant designed to engage practitioner and research groups working in afterschool programs. EDC, in partnership with the National Girls Collaborative Project and MPR Associates, Inc., proposes to convene a 3-day meeting comprised of NSF-funded ITEST grantees, researchers in STEM workforce development and informal learning, STEM industry leaders, and philanthropic organizations.

The STEMware project brings together collaborators in science and education research, teaching, and industry. Modern biology related scenarios developed by educator-student-scientist partners will be utilized to create STEMware™ - immersive simulations for a virtual lab environment. This resource and supplemental curriculum will be distributed to afterschool programs, home computers, and school sites nationwide. The project incorporates an innovative professional and youth development program in the creation, implementation, and evaluation of STEM based “serious game” software.

Prime the Pipeline Project (P3): Putting Knowledge to Work is designed to engage high school students as active members of a scientific village comprised of students, math and science teachers, university faculty, undergraduate student mentors, industry professionals, and scientists. Participants include a cohort of up to 60 grade 10 high school students (class of 2011) and 40 high school teachers (half science and half math), from the Phoenix, Arizona east valley.

SRI International (SRI), Girls Incorporated of Alameda County (GIAC), and TERC are collaborating to create and implement Girls InnovaTE3: Girls Innovating with Technology as Entrepreneurial Environmental Engineers. InnovaTE3, a Strategies project in NSF's ITEST program, is an out-of-school youth-centered curriculum for 8th through 11th grade girls.

M-SOS-W: Middle Schoolers out to Save the World in this project, approximately 600 sixth graders from seven middle schools in Louisiana, Maine, Texas and Vermont are monitoring home energy use under supervision of their (14) teachers. The data are being used to develop optimum scenarios for conserving energy and reducing production of greenhouses gases in local communities. The teachers are receiving professional development to carry out the project.

MarineTech will serve 60 students in grades eight through twelve, over a period of three years, providing 144 hours of instruction and hands-on learning experiences in the fields of marine engineering and physical sciences with a shipbuilding focus.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) ITEST Youth Based Project will provide an in depth computer experience for 120 10th and 11th grade students and 12 teachers from minority and underserved schools in the Birmingham area. The program will initiate the students into visualization programming through a summer experience with Alice, and then during the school year allow them to explore the linear algebra basis behind this program.