This study examined the impact of an out-of-school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-medicine (STEM-M) program in a large U.S. metropolitan area designed to support the learning, development, and educational resilience of high-achieving high school students of color. Students highlighted that a key aspect of the program was the…

We analyzed student engagement in physics during a summer course for incoming first-year students, part of a cohort-based learning community designed for students from underrepresented groups in the School of Engineering of a predominantly white institution. The data--video of an episode within the course and interviews of the 11 students one year…

Interest development is a topic that has fascinated and puzzled educators since the 20th century. Despite decades of research and important advances in the field, questions remain about interest and its relationship to learning. In particular, given the pervasiveness of technology in our daily lives, it is essential to understand how interest…

Despite ongoing efforts to increase diversity in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEM) fields, disparities persist. MYHealth Summer Launch is a virtual, out-of-school STEM outreach program aiming to increase participation of historically marginalized students in health research to develop researcher identity and…

In this essay, Mingda Sun, a high school student from Connecticut, recounts her summer research internship opportunity at the Center for Quantitative Medicine of UConn Health. She discusses her learning experiences, the challenges she faced, and the encouragement she received from her mentors and peers and explains how this month-long internship…

Built for More, The Role of OST in Preparing Youth for the Future of Work will highlight OST research and illustrative practices and bring forward multi-disciplinary perspectives about future trends, innovations, and the impact of OST on the future workforce. The focus is on OST programs as well as related activities that contribute to…

There is an urgent need for more Latinx students to pursue careers in STEM related fields as this has historically been an unserved population in schools. This mixed methods study examined the impact of a summer STEM pipeline program focused on hands-on chemistry concepts for 28 Latinx students in the 5th grade. Findings include statistically…

The goal of undergraduate chemistry laboratories is to allow students to learn about chemical systems and key laboratory skills. They should then apply this knowledge to solve problems and connect macroscopic observations in the laboratory with those occurring at the submicroscopic level. Unfortunately, these needs are not met through traditional…

The purpose of this study is to see if a summer literacy camp was able to help mitigate summer learning loss for students entering grades 1-5. Students attended a five-week summer program that focused on literacy with a STEM component. Some of the students who attended were economically disadvantaged, some were English Language Learners (ELLs),…

Background and Context: Sports and technology are often pitted as being at odds with one another. While there are several educational activities that make reference to sports we seldom see sports used as an authentic context for learning computing. Objective: We describe the design of Data in Motion, a curriculum that considers the bi-directional…

Factors that influence the underrepresentation of females in STEM careers begin early in childhood when gender biases and stereotypes emerge. Stereotypes have a psychosocial effect on females that can lead to low self-efficacy and less interest in learning and pursuing STEM careers. This study investigated the effect of a STEM summer camp on K-12…

This paper presents results from an exploratory case study on the use of Origami for developing design thinking with a group of 22 middle school girls participating in a summer STEM program. The case study combines the process of design thinking, common in STEM-based exploration, and aligned to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) with the art…

Summer undergraduate research experiences (SUREs) provide important onramps to secondary STEM graduate degrees and subsequent careers. Studies demonstrate that these experiences increase the likelihood of students advancing to a graduate-level STEM degree, positively impact STEM identity and confidence, and imbue a sense of professional belonging.…

The perceptions of students interested in STEM, particularly those too often excluded due to race and/or gender, are necessary to create educational experiences that additively contribute to students' access and inclusion in STEM. The purpose of this inquiry was to understand the perceptions of 34 high-school students about race and gender…

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities face complex challenges that require Indigenous-led research. Increasing the Indigenous research workforce depends on structural change within higher education institutions, including better pathways to research training and careers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.…