News & View Category: Project Spotlights

Equity Project Spotlight: Instrument Development: Racially & Ethnically Minoritized Youths’ Varied Out-Of-School-Time Experiences and Their Effects on STEM Attitudes, Identity, and Career Interest

Philip Sadler, Remy Dou, Gerhard Sonnert, and Susan Sunbury share more about the Instrument Development: Racially & Ethnically Minoritized Youths’ Varied Out-Of-School-Time Experiences and Their Effects on STEM Attitudes, Identity, and Career Interest (NSF Award #2215050). PI and Co-PI Team: Philip Sadler, Remy Dou, Gerhard Sonnert, Susan Sunbury, and Monique Ross “Our approach has been to position ourselves … Read more

The value of think-aloud interviews to improve the assessment of scientific skills in C*Sci programs

Authors and affiliations Amy Grack Nelson, Science Museum of Minnesota Evelyn Christian Ronning, Science Museum of Minnesota Introduction Getting people to participate in science, particularly through C*Sci1 projects, is an instrumental way to increase their interest in scientific discovery. As the public is invited to participate in scientific research, understanding the extent of their skills … Read more

Decolonizing Science?

This NSF Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL)-funded Science and Ethics in Informal STEM Contexts (DRL- 2040350) project was designed to explore research ethics in science and the history of science, particularly within informal STEM institutions, through the lenses of multiple cultural traditions, and to produce a documentary, tentatively titled Decolonizing Science? to engage both scientists and informal … Read more

Building Capacity in and Access to Informal STEM Learning Settings for Participants with Disabilities

Scott Bellman, University of Washington DO-IT Center Sheryl Burgstahler, University of Washington Accessible Technology Services Meena Selvakumar, University of Washington Museology Graduate Program A graduate student at the University of Washington (UW) Museology Graduate Program grew up surrounded by individuals with significant disabilities, sharing: “They were my classmates, my friends, and my mother’s coworkers, representing … Read more

“Cracking the Code” Project Creates New Model for Collaboration Between Science Media Professionals and University Science Communication Researchers

Authors: Sue Ellen McCann, Asheley Landrum, Sevda Eris An exploration of millennials’ science media consumption habits, curiosity about science, and cultural beliefs has revealed some useful insights for engaging this generation when it comes to science. Millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996) are far more engaged with social media than previous generations and have … Read more

A Survey to Measure a Sense of Belonging at Museums and Cultural Centers

Introduction Although science museums are making efforts to become more inclusive and relevant, they are still not for everyone. Some people would never consider visiting one, even if they pass by it daily (Dawson, 2014). Many factors feed into this feeling (e.g., systemic racism and bias that make science museums irrelevant to many, architecture that belittles nonwhite guests). But … Read more

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on STEM-interested College Students

Authors: Preeti Gupta, Rachel Chaffee, Karen Hammerness, Anna MacPherson, and Kea Anderson with Youth Co-Researchers: Mahmoud Abouelkheir, Lucie Lagodich, Manaka Shiomi & Erica Chen “When I started at college, being a woman [in] STEM was very isolating for me because a lot of people in my classes didn’t really share similar experiences. … I just … Read more