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.
ImageSTEAM is a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded program designed to help introduce AI and computer vision concepts to middle school students through the development of innovative learning activities in visual media. Our focus is on encouraging students to pursue careers and interests in STEM and empowering teachers to train the next generation of students for the upcoming AI technologies that will feature prominently in the 21st century.
The AI Play project is investigating how to introduce AI concepts via digital game design activities to middle grades students and teachers through workshops, camps, and school-based programs in rural communities of North Carolina.
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.
This project takes a Civic Science approach to STEM, i.e., students engaging in science to promote the public good. Classes of students from minoritized backgrounds collaborate with community partners to identify, study, and act on environmental problems in their urban communities.
The WATERS project increases student interest in STEM careers while building environmental awareness about watersheds.
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.
We will collaborate with 3 annual teacher cohorts (80 teachers total) from Florida Title I middle schools to develop innovative STEM curriculum. This will be done via week-long summer PDs, scientist-teacher partnerships, periodic virtual sharing and planning meetings, and standards-based curricular instruction during the school year. Our project activities integrating fossil sharks and AI will reach at least ~2K to 4K students each year.
The goal of Project-Co-STEM is to develop a model for professional development and classroom implementation support that increases STEM learning opportunities for middle school youth from the rural communities and tribal nations of Northern Arizona.
Engineering design tasks allow students to apply science concepts to solve problems and understand the practical value of scientific knowledge. Yet, it can be challenging for science teachers to find ways to support students to clearly draw connections between the scientific ideas behind engineering problems and the ways in which engineering solutions interact with scientific phenomena. It is also challenging for teachers to make connections between science and engineering in culturally responsive ways.