| NSF Org: |
RISE Integrative and Collaborative Education and Research (ICER) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 12, 2016 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 20, 2018 |
| Award Number: | 1649346 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Brandon Jones
mbjones@nsf.gov (703)292-4713 RISE Integrative and Collaborative Education and Research (ICER) GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | January 1, 2017 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2018 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $299,451.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $299,451.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
5717 CORBETT HALL ORONO ME US 04469-5717 (207)581-1484 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
ME US 04469-5717 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES, EPSCoR Co-Funding |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
Non-Technical
Lack of diversity in science and engineering education has contributed to significant inequality in a workforce that is responsible for addressing today's grand challenges. Broadening participation in these fields will promote the progress of science and advance national health, prosperity and welfare, as well as secure the national defense; however, students from underrepresented groups, including women, report different experiences than the majority of students, even within the same fields. These distinctions are not caused by the students' ability, but rather by insufficient aspiration, confidence, mentorship, instructional methods, and connection and relevance to their cultural identity. The long-term vision of this project is to amplify the impact of a successful broadening participation model at the University of Maine, the Stormwater Research Management Team (SMART). This program trains students and mentors in using science and engineering skills and technology to research water quality in their local watershed. Students engage in numerous science and technology fields: engineering design, data acquisition, analysis and visualization, chemistry, environmental science, biology, and information technology. Students also connect with a diversity of professionals in water and engineering in government, private firms and non-profits. SMART has augmented the traditional science and engineering classroom by engaging students in guided mentored apprenticeships that address community problems.
Technical
This pilot project will form a collaborative and define a strategic plan for scale-up to a national alliance to increase the long-term success rate of underrepresented minority students in science, engineering, and related fields. The collaborative of multiple and varied organizations will align to collectively contribute time and resources to a pre-college educational pathway. There are countless isolated programs that offer short-term interventions for underrepresented and minority students; however, there is lack of organizational coordination for aligning current program offerings, sharing best practices, research results or program outcomes along the education to workforce pathway. The collaborative activities will focus on the transition grades (e.g., 4-5, 8, and high school) and emphasize relationships among skills, confidence, culture and future careers. Collaborative partners will establish a centralized infrastructure in each location to coordinate recruiting of invested community leaders, educators, and parents, around a common agenda by designing, deploying and continually assessing a stormwater-themed project that addresses their location and demographic specific needs. This collaborative community will consist of higher education faculty and students, K-12 students, their caregivers, mentors, educators, stormwater districts, state and national environmental protection agencies, departments of education, and other for-profit and non-profit organizations. The collaborative will address the need for research on mechanisms for change, collaboration, and negotiation regarding the greater participation of under-represented groups in the science and technology workforce.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The SMART INCLUDES Design and Development Launch Pilot (DDLP) is a collaborative effort among nine higher education institutions and 16 schools nationwide that has broadened STEM participation at the high school level: a recognized critical point in the STEM education-to-career pipeline. The program has targeted and especially impacted underrepresented racial and ethnic minority high school students by engaging and empowering them through using locally-relevant stormwater science and engineering projects and a network of invested mentors. During the week-long summer SMART Institutes at the University of Maine (UMaine), teachers and students actively engage with STEM professionals in an inquiry- and project-based instructional environment, based on the model developed and successfully administered by the UMaine Stormwater Management Research Team (SMART) program (NSF EPSCoR RII Track 3 #1348266). During the school year, trained teacher-mentors guide students in water-related research, engaging areas of STEM: engineering design, data acquisition, data analysis and visualization, chemistry, environmental science, biology, and information technology.
SMART program uses inquiry through cognitive apprenticeship as its primary learning and teacher development model. During the summer institutes, teachers learn and practice how to integrate this model into their instruction. Particularly in STEM, inquiry leads to deeper engagement, understanding, and skill-building. The cognitive apprenticeship approach enables learners to master strategies and skills in the context of their application to realistic problems, within a culture of expert practice. Teachers and students are learners that work toward expertise in stormwater science and engineering practices by learning directly from experts in those fields. As participants gain competence and expertise, they become mentors for other learners.
SMART program has trained 27 teachers from 16 schools in nine states to implement stormwater science and engineering research into classroom or extracurricular activities. To date, more than 75 students have been directly impacted by the program through participating in the summer institutes and/or performing water-related research at their school. More than 75% of the students are underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities or female. The program has enabled students to develop and carry out STEM research, helping to build their skills, knowledge and efficacy in STEM and improve their academic confidence. Participation in SMART also led to opportunities for students to present research at conferences - for many students this was their first such opportunity. Twenty-two students from the Year 1 cohort reported receiving award(s). SMART also helped to broaden students’ academic and career boundaries. They reported a growth in interest in STEM practices, career fields, and increased knowledge of engineers’ and scientists’ work
Teachers play a key role in SMART process and success. Teacher-mentors facilitated the achievements of their students by incorporating inquiry through cognitive apprenticeship into their instruction and promoting a collaborative environment for successful research. Teachers reported an increase in their use of technology and engineering practices, indicating that the program achieved its goal of engaging teachers in engineering education by providing opportunities for applying the “T” and “E” in STEM instruction. Teachers are empowered to lead STEM curricular advancements. Two participating schools, Columbus High School in Mississippi and Bangor High School in Maine have developed and are implementing science research courses.
Efforts to expand and sustain the program have focused on identifying programs with similar goals and working collaboratively to develop an Alliance. Networking efforts have increased the partner institutions and school teachers in areas with high percentage of underrepresented students. The program influence has also reaches beyond high schools. For example, the program has stimulated the development of a pathways to engineering for Navy Junior ROTC (NJROTC) students through a collaboration between UMaine and the Naval Education and Training Command. This program annually provides twenty 5-year full scholarships to underrepresented students to enroll in UMaine STEM majors.
SMART advanced knowledge of how to most effectively engage unrepresented students in STEM education, with a focus on locally-relevant project-based practices and cognitive apprenticeship, encouraging aspirations and self-confidence of students. The overall contribution to broadening participation rests on our commitment to bringing diverse partners together to study how water science and engineering problems, when combined with evidence-based educational practices, can serve as a model for engaging students in STEM to the point where we can “move the needle” in the national STEM workforce. Through our planned alliance, we will produce a model that can be also tailored to younger students and to includes science and engineering practices of other issues such as energy and food.
The outcomes of this project have been documented in one published peer-reviewed journal paper [1], one pending journal paper, and a website [2]. Instructional tools and materials are available at the site.
[1] Musavi, M., Friess, W., James, C., and Isherwood, J. (2018). Changing the Face of STEM with Stormwater Research: The University of Maine SMART Program, International Journal of STEM Education. 5(2).
[2] https://umaine.edu/smartincludes
Last Modified: 03/30/2019
Modified by: Mohamad T Musavi
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