This "scale-up" project uses engineering as well as science to bring engineering experiences to underrepresented communities. The investigators will build under water robots, create social networks, and produce a webcast. This project is based on evidence gained from a previous ITEST Strategies grant (ESI-0624709) that showed that an underwater robotics curriculum can increase student learning of science and engineering concepts, their practice of 21st century skills such as problem-solving and collaboration, their enjoyment of science, and their engineering career interest.

Tenth grade students in high schools in Nashville, Tennessee choose among four to seven career academies. Despite a needs analysis that demonstrates the several occupations in Nashville require a STEM background, the results of a survey show that most students are choosing arts and communications career academies rather than STEM-related ones.

This Rutgers University project, Conducting Authentic Molecular Biology and Genomics Research (MBGR) in High Schools, is a three-year strategies-based ITEST project that provides avenues for science teachers and their students to become part of, and contribute to, authentic research in biotechnology, molecular biology, and bioinformatics. Teachers and students will use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to analyze their experimental findings and publish their results in databases used by scientists throughout the world.

This ITEST strategies project titled Classroom Student Investigations, uses the popularity of the Crime Scene Investigation television show, involving forensic science investigation, as a metaphor to train teachers in forensic science topics and use that training in their science classrooms to stimulate and encourage middle and upper school students in science topics generally. The project is expected to lead to increased student interest in STEM topics using students interest in the culturally popular portrayal of forensic science to convey many basic STEM principles.

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research is collaborating with the GLOBE program, the University of Colorado, New York University, the Texas Regional Collaboratives and several other partners to design, implement, and evaluate an Earth System Science learning experience for teachers and students.

This project will utilize computer graphics, game development and mutual mentoring as elements in an innovative Computer Science curriculum for two cohorts of underrepresented high school students. The design, development and implementation of this curriculum will be conducted through a partnership of California State Sacramento (the Department of Computer Science and the College of Education), Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) and local K-12 schools.

The Paleo Exploration Project has provided training in paleontology and geospatial analysis to 52 K-12 math, science, and technology teachers and over 80 middle school students from rural eastern Montana, an area that includes five of the state’s seven Indian reservations. Through a series of two-day weekend workshops, participating teachers learned about Montana's geologic history and fossil record, and were trained in the use sophisticated geospatial technologies to plan and conduct field-based geological investigations.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in partnership with Nebraska 4-H, is building upon an existing collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University and Carnegie's Robotics Curriculum program to produce an innovative program focusing on Robotics, Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), as applied to the domain of precision agriculture and environmental science. The program aims to improve STEM learning outcomes, attitudes towards science and career path development of rural youth ages 12-15.

This proposal, "Students Investing in Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (SIMET)," is a request from Jackson State University for a three-year project that outlines a year-round program that includes: Saturday sessions, online/telephone homework support by a college-age mentor, a two-week summer residential camp, workshops for parents and internships. The program will serve a total of 90 underrepresented students over three years, with 15 students each year in 7th, 8th, and 9th grades and 15 students each year in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades.

The "TechREACH" project is designed to reach underserved middle school students and teachers in rural, eastern Washington. The project goals are to increase interest in STEM and IT, build the capacity of school and community audiences, and increase the number of students pursuing STEM careers. Project partners include Washington State University MESA, Digipen Institute of Technology, and the Red Llama software company.