Given recent advancements in geospatial technologies and the expanding geospatial technology industry, this project is timely in its focus on spatial thinking and strengthening geospatial technology skills among high school students. Students will investigate real world issues in the context of their own neighborhoods through citizen mapping activities. Students will use a variety of data collection devices, including GPS units, georeferencing cameras, and smartphones, along with secondary data, to investigate issues that students perceive as significant for their communities.

In existing CryptoClub after school programs, middle school students use mathematics to make and break secret codes. The CryptoClub website has tools for encrypting, messages to crack, treasure hunts and other activities. In this project, the learning in fifteen Crypto Clubs is extended by having the students generate tutorials that explain how they solve mathematics and cryptographic problems. The flexibility of the after school setting provides the opportunity to experiment with content and technology.

This ITEST strategies project is providing high school students with experiences in robotics to galvanize their interest in STEM and prepare them for STEM programs at the college level. The project is delivering a pre-engineering experience, advanced math coursework, and project-based instruction. High school teachers receive technical training to build their STEM teaching competencies. Over 100 underrepresented students are being recruited from MC2 STEM High School in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

The Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center at the Monterey Community College in collaboration with Washington State University is engaging in a scale-up study of the remote operated vehicle (ROV) program to new audiences of middle and high school students and teachers. Using a train the trainers approach, the MATE ROV project is conducting at least 45 regional professional development workshops in 15 regions for a total of 500 teachers.

This Learning and Research Center will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) by providing technical support to all ITEST projects, facilitating national dissemination of ITEST project outcomes, and further developing the ITEST research and development community.

“It’s About Discovery” is a partnership between The Ohio State University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Fayetteville State University that engages high school students and their teachers in critical thinking skills focusing on STEM content areas. The Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (PAS) new science curriculum is the foundation for the project that includes students and teachers from Ohio and North Carolina.

Robotics and GPS/GIS in 4-H: Workforce Skills for the 21st Century is a-five year scale-up project to use 4-H clubs to prepare middle school youth for the STEM workplace. The project builds on and extends an existing research-based ITEST project by developing and testing new national curricula to introduce basic technology skills, foster problem solving and inquiry skills, and encourage teamwork.

This project will enable high school and middle school STEM teachers and students to conduct environmental research aided by the analysis of images from digital cameras, scanners, and the Internet. The project explores how digital image analysis can be applied to environmental quality issues that can readily be introduced into STEM courses, engaging students and encouraging them to think about related careers. The project will develop research agendas that will employ a variety of image analysis tools.

The Computer Science (CS) community believes that it has an important role to play in educating the public about the excitement of Computer Science (CS) and the lucrative and interesting career opportunities this field offers. In western Pennsylvania, most high school students are not being provided an opportunity to learn about the science of computing nor about the breadth of the field.

The Barcode of Life Initiative (BOLI) is an international biodiversity collaboration that creates a genetic encyclopedia of Earth's plants and animals using short DNA sequences that uniquely identify species groups. The goal of this strategies project is to interest students in STEM careers by engaging them in an international project to provide identification of biological species.