Increased emphasis on K-12 engineering education, including the advent and incorporation of NGSS in many curricula, has spurred the need for increased engineering learning opportunities for younger students. This is particularly true for students from underrepresented minority populations or economically disadvantaged schools, who traditionally lag their peers in the pursuit of STEM majors or careers. To address this deficit, we have created the Hk Maker Lab, a summer program for New York City high school students that introduces them to biomedical engineering design. The students learn the
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Aaron Matthew KyleMichael CarapezzaChristine Kovich
The impact of two science enrichment programs on the science attitudes of 330 gifted high school students was evaluated using a multimethod, multiperspective approach that provided a more comprehensive evaluation of program impact on science attitudes than did previous assessments of science programs. Although pre-post comparisons did not indicate positive impact on science attitudes, other measures provided strong evidence of program effectiveness. Program benefits were greater among girls, those who had more supportive families and teachers, and those who entered the programs with greater
Summer science programs held in university research facilities provide ideal opportunities for pre-college students to master new skills and renew, refresh, and enrich their interest in science. These types of programs have a positive impact on a student's understanding of the nature of science and scientific inquiry and can open a youngster's eyes to the many possible career opportunities in science. This paper describes a study of high school students enrolled in the Summer Science Academy program at the University of Rochester that investigates the program's impact on students' knowledge of
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Kerry KnoxJan MoynihanDina Markowitz
The Koshland Youth Research Lab (Research Lab) began as an eight-month pilot program funded by the DEK Family Fund at the San Francisco Foundation. The project (initially implemented in 2011) used frontend and formative evaluation to develop the program in line with the needs and interests of its target audience of Hispanic youth. The summative evaluation took place in the last month of the program (December 2011). Researchers from UXR Consulting, Inc. were engaged to conduct all phases of the evaluation. This report includes the interview protocol and surveys used in the study.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Jes A. KoepflerKoshland Science Museum
This front-end study aimed to capture baseline information about students' science interests and skills in support of the development of a new program called the Koshland Youth Research Lab. Specifically, the evaluation was driven by the following questions: 1) What are students' current attitudes and interests toward four selected science topics: adolescent sleep needs, teen sexuality and risky behaviors, water quality in your community, and adolescent health and nutrition? 2) What are students' current knowledge and skills with regard to scientific research methods and research design? Data
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Jes A. KoepflerMarian Koshland Science Museum
The overall goal of the current proposal is to adapt the interdisciplinary research-based curriculum created at the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt (SSMV) for implementation of a four-year program in three Metropolitan Nashville Public School (MNPS) high schools. The specific aims of the proposal are to adapt the on-campus (at Vanderbilt) model for implementation in three public high schools with different academic profiles (SSM Academies); to define the variables and features required to sustain the program and to replicate the model in any high school setting; and to define a strategy for disseminating the model to additional schools. Students entering 9th grade in a school in which an SSM Academy has been implemented will be encouraged to apply. Those who are accepted into the program will spend three hours every other day in two courses based on the adapted curriculum. As with the SSMV, rising seniors will have opportunities to enter Vanderbilt laboratories for summer research internships. Teachers from the high school will work with Center for Science Outreach scientists to adapt the SSMV curriculum for implementation. Ongoing, year-long teacher professional development will be conducted to ensure that the curriculum is dynamic and the teachers are well-prepared to engage and guide the students in the curriculum. The anticipated outcomes include enhanced student achievement as measured by GPA, and scores on ACT science reasoning and end of course tests; increased SSM student interest in careers in science; increased district-wide enrollment in SSM programs; increased graduation rates and postsecondary education enrollment by SSM students; development of unique curricular science units that can be adapted for a novel four-year interdisciplinary research- based curriculum; development of a sustainable model built on effective features of each SSM that can be exported to other high schools within and outside Nashville; enhanced community and family involvement in the SSM programs and school community in general; a strengthened partnership between Vanderbilt and MNPS that will serve as a national model of a successful university-K-12 collaboration to enhance science teaching and learning.
This Phase I SEPA proposal supports a consortium of science and education partners that will develop System Dynamics (SD) computer models to illustrate basic health science concepts. The consortium includes Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU), Portland Public Schools (PPS), Saturday Academy, and the Portland VA Medical Center. SD is a computer modeling technique in which diagrams illustrate system structure and simulations illustrate system behavior. Desktop computers and commercial software packages allow SD to be applied with considerable success in K-12 education. NSF grants to Portland Public Schools have trained over 225 high school teachers in Portland and surrounding areas. Two magnet programs have been established with an emphasis on systems and at least five other schools offer significant systems curriculum. Major components of this project include (1) Annual summer research internships at OHSU for high school teachers and high school students, (2) Development of SD models relevant to each research project, (3) Ongoing interactions between high school science programs and OHSU research laboratories, (4) Development of curriculum materials to augment the use of the SD model in the high school classroom or laboratory setting, and (5) Development of video materials to support the classroom teacher. Content will focus on four fundamental models: linear input/exponential output, bi-molecular binding (association/dissociation), population dynamics, and homeostasis. Each of these models is very rich and may be extended to a broad variety of research problems. In addition these models may be combined, for example to illustrate the effect of drugs (binding model) on blood pressure (homeostasis model). System Dynamics is an exemplary tool for the development of materials consistent with National Science Education Standards. SD was specifically developed to emphasize interactions among system structure, organization, and behavior. Students use these material as part of inquiry-based science programs in which the teacher serves as a guide and facilitator rather than the primary source of all content information; technical writing by students is also encouraged. Finally, these SD materials will provide a coherent body of work to guide the ongoing professional development of the classroom science teacher.
Goals: 1) Increase the number of Alaskans from educationally and/or economically disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly Alaska Natives, who pursue careers in health sciences and health professions and 2) Inform the Alaskan public about health science research and the clinical trial process so that they are better equipped to make healthier lifestyle choices and better understand the aims and benefits of clinical research. Objectives: 1) Pre-med Summer Enrichment program (U-DOC) at UAA (pipeline into college), 2) Statewide Alaska Student Scientist Corps for U-DOC, 3) students (pipeline into college), 4) Facility-based Student Science Guide program at Imaginarium Science Discovery Center, 5) Job Shadowing/Mentorship Program for U-DOC students and biomedical researchers, 6) Research-based and student-led exhibit, demonstration, and multi-media presentations, 7) Professional Development for educators, 8) North Star Website.
The long-term goal of this project is to expand and disseminate our innovative internship and near-peer mentoring models for minority youth and women in the biomedical sciences, thus increasing the number of minority students participating in the quantitative disciplines. Dissemination and expansion of the program will take place in three steps: (1) Within the national capital region through the Internet and cooperative arrangements with established educational initiatives within DCPS system; (2) For year 2, expand to one site outside the national capital area. The site would be for a group that had already begun to model its fledgling program on our STARS program, or one of the specific sites discussed in Aim 3. The likely site would be at Fort Monmouth, N.J., since Dr. Constella Zimmerman is planning to start a STARS initiative; and (3) Extend the program to specific sites within selected cities, and utilize current contacts in states that do not yet have a SEPA program to disseminate.