We create and study virtual simulations of peer collaboration in STEM fields, designed for youth in informal learning environments. Practice with the simulations will help teens from underrepresented groups build collaborative skills and career interest in STEM fields, especially those that use mathematics and require strong teamwork.

We are co-designing and piloting a 9-week AI elective for Georgia middle school students with 8 teachers. Our co-design process is scaffolding our ability to truly design curriculum collaboratively. Through this project we aim to understand the types of resources teachers need to confidently teach AI and how to scaffold student learning and create engaging AI learning experiences. 

The STEM Storytelling through Podcasts (SSP) project focuses on broadening participation for blind/visually impaired (BVI) and sighted upper elementary students by engaging them with podcast technology to promote access to STEM and introduce students to STEM careers.

Building on the foundations set by the AP Computer Science (CS) Principles course, this project seeks to dramatically expand access, especially for high school girls, to the most exciting and emerging frontiers of computing, such as distributed computation, the internet of things (IoT), cybersecurity, and machine learning, as well as other 21st century skills required to productively leverage computational methods and tools in virtually every profession.

CS Frontiers is a new high school computer science curriculum designed to dramatically expand access, especially for high school girls, to the emerging frontiers of computing, such as distributed computation, the internet of things (IoT), machine learning, and software engineering.

The project will develop and research an after-school program that is designed to increase the STEM career interests and motivations of Native American middle-school students. Students will use digital technologies, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and 3D printing, to solve spatial design problems presented through the project’s culturally responsive, problem-based learning education modules.

This project will develop and study measures of culturally responsive-sustaining education (CR-SE) in computer science (CS)—providing vital tools and evidence to inform the growing CS education field.

This project creates community-based engineering design experiences in advanced manufacturing aimed to build STEM content knowledge, identity and interest in STEM careers among underrepresented rural middle school (grades 6-8) students. The project also explores the impact of professional development on rural middle school teachers' STEM content knowledge, self-efficacy and awareness of STEM careers.

SISTEM’s overarching goals are to (1) Increase DLL PreK families’ perceptions of themselves as partners in their children’s science learning and their engagement, confidence, and skills in supporting their children’s science inquiry; (2)Increase PreK DLL teachers’ perceptions of themselves as partners in their students’ science learning and their skills and self-efficacy in facilitating science inquiry with DLLs; (3) Increase children’s, families’ and teachers’ knowledge of STEM careers; and (4) Improve PreK DLLs’ science, language and literacy skills and their interest and self-confidence

This collaborative project  aims to establish STEM career identity among Latinx youth and help them identify the academic pathways needed to best position themselves for the future workplace. The project team leverages previously developed curriculum in the context of a network science lens and designs an evidence-based personalized career development curriculum.