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LuminAI is an interactive art installation that allows participants to collaborate with an AI dance partner by improvising movements. During the interaction, the participant dances with an AI dance partner who learns from the participant’s movements in real-time and remixes them into new, unexpected forms of motion. LuminAI blurs the lines between the participant and AI agent, inviting the participant...

As generative AI rapidly enters everyday life, educational interventions for teaching about AI need to cater to how young people,in particular middle schoolers who are at a critical age for reasoning skills and identity formation, conceptualize and interact with AI. We conducted nine focus groups with 24 middle school students to elicit their interests, conceptions of, and approaches to a...

As text-to-image AI tools grow in capability and widespread use, research has focused on studying individualistic user prompt crafting strategies. Recognizing that technologies are socially constructed, this paper examines prompt engineering through a social lens. We propose reframing prompt engineering as a socio-cultural practice shaped by collective knowledge building. Through qualitative analysis of 19 semi-structured interviews with members of the...

Fostering young learners’ literacy surrounding AI technologies is becoming increasingly important as AI is becoming integrated in many aspects of our lives and is having far-reaching impacts on society. We have developed Knowledge Net and Creature Features, two activity boxes for family groups to engage with in their homes that communicate AI literacy competencies such as understanding knowledge representations, the...

In this conference presentation, we show how group mentoring promotes a sense of belonging for middle school students in an afterschool science program....

In this presentation we show how scientists gain awareness about inequality in education by volunteering as mentors to urban middle school youth in a science after school mentoring program....

This poster describes how group mentoring processes promote middle school youth's science identity....

This visual report, produced by the STEM Research Center at Oregon State University, summarizes the results of a study to understand how ISL organizations could use newly developed professional learning tools. This study was part of a broader project, Professional Pathways in Informal STEM Learning (ISL), which supports professional learning for anyone who works in the ISL field. Science and technology...

This field scan, conducted between October 2022 and January 2023, examines professional competency frameworks, job postings, and academic curricula in the ISL field. The results informed the development of an updated Framework for professional competency in the ISL field. This research was part of a broader project, Professional Pathways in Informal STEM Learning (ISL), which supports professional learning for anyone...

The Learning Plan is a tool for charting your path for professional growth in the ISL field. The Learning Plan is part of a broader project, Professional Pathways in Informal STEM Learning (ISL), which supports professional learning for anyone who works in the ISL field. Science and technology centers and museums, natural history museums, children’s museums, zoos, aquariums, nature centers, botanical...

The Self-Assessment is a tool for reflecting on your skills and knowledge as an ISL professional. The Self-Assessment is part of a broader project, Professional Pathways in Informal STEM Learning (ISL), which supports professional learning for anyone who works in the ISL field. Science and technology centers and museums, natural history museums, children’s museums, zoos, aquariums, nature centers, botanical gardens, planetariums,...

The Framework is a tool for exploring professional competencies across a broad range of ISL work. The Framework is part of a broader project, Professional Pathways in Informal STEM Learning (ISL), which supports professional learning for anyone who works in the ISL field. Science and technology centers and museums, natural history museums, children’s museums, zoos, aquariums, nature centers, botanical gardens,...

Museums and science centers offer rich STEM opportunities for teens, from climate advocacy to leadership development. But how can these institutions build sustainable, equity-centered collaborations with young people and their communities? This session shared outcomes from Creating Sustainable Community, Museum, and University Collaborations, a one-year NSF-AISL–funded partnership among researchers, informal science educators, and teen participants from ten museums and universities...

This paper offers a model of formative science assessment as an ongoing dialogic process for building understanding that is multimodal, embodied, and relational, rooted in cultural expression and collective sense-making....

Video talk of a paper authored by Folashadé Solomon, Dionne Champion, Mariah Steele and Tracey Wright. The paper received the Outstanding Paper Award from the Journal of the Learning Sciences. As the selection panel comments, “By employing culturally responsive pedagogy, the authors established a connection between the learning of physics and dance education, thereby promoting access and equity…The meticulous analysis...

This article appeared in the Journal of Learning Sciences' (2022) special issue on Learning in and through the arts. The paper examines the complex role of embodied funds of knowledge in physics teaching and learning. Through a close analysis of teen dancers as they worked to collaboratively construct new understandings of elements of particle physics in an out-of-school workshop called...

Neurodiverse individuals bring valuable talents to STEM fields and should have the opportunity to explore these subjects as potential career paths. By following these recommendations, based on our systematic review, out-of-school STEM programs can become more inclusive and beneficial for all students, including those who think and learn differently....

Informal STEM settings offer valuable opportunities for students, including neurodiverse students, to engage and participate in STEM activities. However, there is a limited information on how to best engage and include neurodiverse students in informal STEM programming. This systematic review aimed to identify the programmatic elements that facilitated the inclusion of K-12 neurodiverse STEM learners in informal STEM programs. In...

The talents that neurodiverse individuals bring to STEM fields are being increasingly recognized, thus it is important to ensure neurodiverse youth have opportunities to experience an array of STEM fields as viable career options. Based on the results of a systematic review, this article provides recommendations for how informal STEM learning programs can effectively engage neurodiverse middle and high school...

Informal learning experiences in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) can enhance STEM learning that occurs in formal educational settings and curricula as well as generate enthusiasm for considering STEM careers. The aim of this systematic review is to focus on the experiences of neurodiverse students in informal STEM learning. Neurodiversity is a subgroup of neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism,...

The STEAM Equity project brought science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics learning experiences to 12 public libraries located in rural communities around the U.S., each with significant Latinx populations. Implemented from 2020-2024, participating libraries received resources to help them develop connections with community partners to reach specific audiences (especially Latinx audiences, tweens, and girls), facilitate STEAM programs for their patrons,...

This document is the final evaluation report for the Brains On the Move research project, prepared by the project's Research Advisory Group. The report addresses the accomplishment of the project's stated research goals, the quality and rigor of the research, the value of the research to the ISE field, and reflections on the collaboration between the researchers and advisors....

This poster provides an overview of the Molly Community Science project, including a summary of the project's evaluation and research findings....

Informal learning settings are valuable environments for students to learn beyond the classroom. This article describes the preliminary findings from a systematic review that explored programmatic elements associated with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning, knowledge, identity, and self-efficacy for neurodiverse youth in informal STEM learning environments. ...

As evidence synthesis methodologies, particularly systematic reviews (SRs), continue to gain popularity across social science research disciplines, faculty requests for librarian assistance with literature searchers are also increasing. A critical component of a well-developed systematic review is a robust grey literature search. Grey literature provides access to research outside of traditional publishing streams, such as conference proceedings, government reports, or...