NC-FEW 2020 Virtual Showcase

A team of scientists and science educators have been using the study of pollinators, pollen, and plants with middle and high school students to investigate what it can tell them about their world through inquiry-based research to develop skills in collecting, analyzing, and communicating data. The grant funded program now in its sixth year includes an after-school and summer program at the University. UNC-Pembroke is in a rural, economically depressed region of the Southeastern U.S. with a large population underrepresented among scientists. One challenge is to make science real and relevant. People are familiar with the spring aerial deluge of pollen which begins the exploration of pollen, pollinators and food. The many hurricanes in the area make climate change a real phenomena.

Here we describe a novel approach to help address broadening participation challenges in the 21st century. We have a collaboration between two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) – NCA&T and NCCU partnering with several middle schools. The middle school years are pivotal time in the development of student behaviors, attitudes, and work habits, and therefore is an inflection point for approaches. Our food, energy, water socio-environmental framework is part of a networked improvement community located in North Carolina. We have positively impacted student retention, knowledge, and quantitative skills in STEM across socio-economic divides. This will help broaden participation among a new generation of scientists with the requisite training in the the FEW-related fields.

Towson University (TU) preservice teachers conduct educational programming focusing on watershed education for urban youth at the National Aquarium. Urban youth are middle school students from Baltimore City Public Schools , visiting the aquarium in order to participate in the “What Lives in the Harbor” program. This is a BTU (Baltimore/Towson University Partnership: TU faculty and students work with partners throughout Greater Baltimore to better address the needs of the region. Our community partner is the National Aquarium in Baltimore."

This presentation reveals an in-depth curricular unit exploring the effects of human land use on local water resources. This unit was designed to connect high school students to water resources in their community, both in the field and through the use of interactive mapping technology. These methods engage students in science and technology using multiple disciplines and can help them better understand how their local water resource is affected by the surrounding landscape. In this unit, students explore the dynamics of local water resources and the anthropogenic issues that affect them through field and open-access online inquiry-based activities