STEM-Discovery

This Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Track-3 award seeks to engage teachers and students from high schools with high enrollment of underrepresented minority (URM) students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-based, project driven experiences. The project aims to develop curricular materials on the engineering design process for adaptation in high schools, and increase the STEM success of African-American and female students by engaging them in competitive hands-on activities. The overall goal of this project is to increase Louisiana's capacity and innovation in STEM fields and develop a sustainable program that can be adopted broadly across the nation. Intellectual Merit The STEM-Discovery program establishes university-high school partnerships and facilitates project-based STEM learning in the engineering design process. The project offers summer camps and team competitions that are designed to motivate high school students to understand the fundamentals of engineering design challenges. The program also exposes the students to key enabling technologies and helps them develop teamwork and communication skills. The program is based on the premise that competition drives excellence and provides connections to real-world applications such as designing a fuel-cell car. The project also offers workshops for high school teachers that provide professional development and networking opportunities. The program is structured to test a small scale pilot, refine the program by incorporating participant feedback, and expand to engage more high schools and universities in STEM partnerships. Broader Impacts Building on established connections between Louisiana Tech University and high schools, the STEM-Discovery project has identified twelve partnering high schools with high URM student enrollments. Over the five years of the project, at least 84 teachers and 252 students from these high schools will be engaged directly in the workshops and design competitions. Teacher professional development and interaction among students at these schools have the potential to attract non-participating students and stimulate their interest in higher education and careers in STEM-related areas. Broad dissemination of the project content to a larger audience is provided through virtual learning venues and workshops at national professional conferences. The model of empowering underrepresented minority students and teachers in high schools through project-based learning by immersion in content focused camps and design project competitions is potentially scalable and adaptable across the nation.