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Given the importance of developing a well-equipped United States STEM workforce, the number of STEM postdoctoral researchers has increased more than threefold over the past 40 years. However, inequalities related to power dynamics, race, gender, and the types of training postdoctoral researchers receive persist. While research training and publication have traditionally been the standard for STEM research training programs, these...

It is crucial for everyone to participate in the STEM enterprise to assure the continued technological and scientific advances. This project is unique because of its use of film and other visual assets to explore STEM identity, participation, and aspiration through a multigenerational approach featuring a Black mother, her family, and her community. The project consists of four components: a...

As Deaf people today continue to be underrepresented in professional STEM settings, this project aims to open the public's eyes to how diverse peoples contribute to science in unique and extraordinary ways and, in doing so, change how they view Deafness and disability. The project will create a bilingual American Sign Language (ASL) and English documentary film that features the...

This award, which is this co-funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL), program supports a collaborative research project the investigates the development, use, and impact of science multimedia for young children. It utilizes the history of The Magic School Bus (MSB), one of the most successful informal science initiatives of the past forty years, to study the relationship between...

This conference is the third annual program-wide meeting in the National AI Research Institutes Program. The Summit for AI Institutes Leadership (SAIL 2024) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored conference organized and executed by the program's hub activity, the AI Institutes Virtual Organization (AIVO). The conference gathers the leaders and other key personnel from all AI Institutes to foster...

Workforce diversity is crucial in today's rapidly changing world. Autistic adults, with their unique perspectives and skills, can significantly contribute to workplace diversity. However, compared to similarly qualified peers, they often struggle to find and retain jobs, including in STEM fields where the U.S. faces an increasing skills gap. Autistic adults comprise at least 2% of the U.S. population, so...

Due to geographic barriers and higher rates of poverty, Indigenous youth living in rural communities have significantly fewer opportunities to engage in high-quality STEM experiences inside and outside of school. Concurrently, schools in both rural and urban settings approach STEM education from a western science perspective, thus limiting opportunities for youth to integrate Indigenous ways of knowing in STEM classrooms....

The American Museum of Natural History will host the Science Research Mentoring Program Conference (SRMPCon) designed as an opportunity to exchange ideas and strategies centered on evidence-based, inclusive, research-focused mentorship for underrepresented minority youth. Particularly for youth who have been historically underrepresented in STEM, effective mentorship can lead to the development of a STEM identity, confidence in STEM learning, and...

Semiconductors are essential components of electronic devices, enabling advances in important applications and systems such as communication, healthcare, and national security. In order to sustain the U.S.'s global competitiveness in the semiconductor industry, there is a growing demand for a skilled semiconductor workforce. High-schoolers are among the most frequent users of electronic devices. However, many do not know how these...

A Mixed Methods Evaluation of an Early Childhood Informal Learning Exhibit The present study was conducted to evaluate the dedicated early-childhood exhibit space at Creative Discovery Museum. The previous early childhood space, known as Little Yellow House, closed in the Fall of 2022, and the renovated Little FarmHouse (LFH) space opened in Spring of 2023. This study aims to clarify the...

Public gardens and other facilities with living collections have policies that advocate for diversity, equity, access, inclusion, justice and belonging (DEAI+) but what do these policies look like in practice for all individuals who work at, visit and/or engage with these spaces? This session explored how zoos and aquariums are approaching access and inclusion for autistic individuals across the full...

The Modeling Zoos and Aquariums as Inclusive Communities of Science for Autistic Individuals (MoZAICS) project aims to develop an evidence-based framework of inclusive practices for zoos and aquariums to support science learning for autistic individuals across the full zoo/aquarium experience including the general visit, programs, exhibits, internships, volunteering, and employment opportunities. The autism community study is one effort as part...

The Modeling Zoos and Aquariums as Inclusive Communities of Science for Autistic Individuals (MoZAICS) project aims to develop an evidence-based framework of inclusive practices for zoos and aquariums to support science learning for autistic individuals across the full zoo/aquarium experience including the general visit, programs, exhibits, internships, volunteering, and employment opportunities. The autism community study is one effort as part...

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), in partnership with Oregon MESA, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), the World Forestry Center (WFC), and AB Cultural Drivers (ABCD) is launching Wildfires and Human Health in a Changing Climate which aims to enhance public understanding of environmental health research, particularly the health impacts of severe wildfires. Deliverables include a bilingual traveling...

We explored how families’ (1) use of materials, (2) verbal engagement, (3) hands-on engagement, (4) engineering design process talk, and (5) spatial language differed when doing a tinkering activity at home or in a museum....

We asked whether storytelling during a playful problem-solving activity (i.e., tinkering) in informal educational settings (a children’s museum) might support children’s provision of engineering information in their reflections immediately after tinkering....

We asked whether and how parents’ autonomy supportive language and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) talk advanced children’s STEM engagement during and after an engineering learning activity (i.e., tinkering)....

We examined how children’s emotional engagement during an at-home tinkering activity may promote their STEM talk and relate to different tinkering approaches....

We explored how families’ use of story supports (i.e., toy characters) and program facilitation style (i.e., workshop vs. “drop in”) impacted: 1) Families’ associations to past experiences and fantasy elements while tinkering, 2) Children’s use of spatial language when reflecting afterwards....

This study asked whether age and emotional engagement was related to children’s STEM talk after tinkering....

As part of the project, Designing our Tomorrow—Mobilizing the Next Generation of Engineers (DOT), OMSI developed a set of professional development (PD) training modules as a resource for educators in informal science education (ISE). The intended impacts for the evidence-based PD included: 1. Educators will gain confidence using elements of storytelling as a facilitation tool. 2. Educators will gain an understanding of...

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) follows an Equity Action Framework to guide practices and decisions that can improve equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion at OMSI. During the development of the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded exhibit, Creatividad silvestre and Wild Creativity, the project team worked on an accessibility plan and met with consultants from the Oregon Commission for...

Through a strategic partnership between the Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab in the School of the Environment at Yale University and the Detroit Zoological Society, youth participants leveraged a trail camera network in Detroit urban parks to capture their wildlife “neighbors” with whom they are sharing the neighborhood. Models of the Wildlife Neighbors program included varying amounts of facilitation (summer camp...

Urban environments are remarkable natural laboratories to study ecology and speciation. These learning ecosystems are ecologically diverse and potentially more accessible for urban youth and their families. Unfortunately, disparities in STEM access continue to persist. Transportation, social and financial barriers, and a lack of awareness of STEM opportunities are a few of the inequities that significantly limit participation in STEM...

The Museum of Science, Boston will create a customizable digital exhibit platform that can flexibly and inclusively support visitors’ engagement with any topic. Project activities include developing and testing a flexible exhibit infrastructure that prioritizes universal design principles, which can be installed as a standalone exhibit in a museum. The digital platform will be available free of charge, supporting the...