Recipient Organization
EXPLORA SCIENCE CENTER & CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF ALBUQUERQUE
1701 MOUNTAIN RD NW
ALBUQUERQUE,NM 871041396
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Explora is an experiential learning center in Albuquerque, NM that provides inquiry-based programs and exhibits to illuminate basic concepts in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for people of all ages. In this proposal, Explora describes a two-year Extension Project, Planting Seeds of STEM, that will address the educational need areas of 1) student experiential learning, and 2) recruitment, retention, & educational equity in STEM for women & underrepresented minorities (URMs) from rural areas. In partnership with Three Sisters Kitchen, the Village of Los Ranchos, Partnership for Community Action, Zuni Youth Enrichment Program, University of Arizona, NM State University, Big Jim Farm, Rio Grande Community Farm, Chispas Farm, Vida Verde Farm, and Big Jim Farm, Explora will utilize our combined resources and expertise to address underrepresentation of the target audience in STEM through a focus on the STEM concepts embedded in the rich agricultural traditions of NM. Participants will engage in two different extension activities: 1) a series of school-based programs and mentor visits, and 2) family workshops at local growers' markets in each of the three hubs (South Valley, Los Ranchos, and Pueblo of Zuni). With the goal of increasing rural female & minority participation in food, agricultural, natural resources, and human (FANH) sciences, Planting Seeds of STEM will focus on increasing the target population's: 1) Awareness of STEM happening in the local farming community; 2) Exposure to STEM role models--especially female farmers of color--in local food systems; 3) Interest in FANH content and careers; and 4) Self-identities as scientists.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The long-term goal of Planting Seeds of STEM is to enlist a variety of community-based organizations to increase participation by women & underrepresented minorities from rural areas throughout NM in FANH STEM education & career exploration.Supporting objectives include:1) increase awareness of and appreciation for the STEM knowledge already exercised in everyday life by various minority communities throughout NM, utilizing the mechanism of experiential learning2) Forge new relationships and strengthen intersectional and interdisciplinary collaboration between academia, STEM professionals, and local families steeped in agricultural traditions.
Project Methods
Planting Seeds of STEM addresses the opportunities & needs defined by a multitude of community voices, including those within the museum learning community and those outside the museum's walls, STEM-focused educators & stakeholders, parents & grandparents, and local farmers & agricultural scientists. Explora, the lead organization for this project, also serves as the backbone organization for STEM-NM, designated as one of 100 official STEM Learning Ecosystems in the country by the STEM Funders Network. STEM-NM also has chosen to address the underrepresentation of students of color in the STEM workforce as its major area of work. STEM- NM implemented a NSF INCLUDES grant to support that work creating STEM learning pathways for low-income students of color. There is ample experienceand support available to pursue Planting Seeds of STEM as an aligned project.Planting Seeds of STEM will develop, test, & share resources co-developed with the Project Team and their local community members--integrating knowledge, experience, and strengths of families who often are not engaged in museum learning--in order to expose & articulate the STEM content embedded in local farming and agricultural activities. The products of this project will include both these new resources (i.e., curricula, experiential learning opportunities, etc.) and a replicable process that science museums can use to listen, welcome, & co-create with community partners, in order to increase relevancy and impact.The Project Team has chosen one question as the frame for all of our collaborative work: Can we increase the participation of females & minorities in STEM by working systemically to increase awareness of the STEM content and mentors already embedded in the rich agricultural traditions of New Mexico? During conceptual design of our project plan, we utilized the guiding principles & recommendations in the recently released report, Early STEM Matters (Early Childhood STEM Working Group). Planting Seeds of STEM utilizes two of the report's four guiding principles, both addressing the role of adults in developing STEM literacy and affecting STEM attitudes & interests. The report authors write that young children "need adult assistance to foster, guide, and build on their interests to ensure adequate early STEM experiences." (EarlyChildhood STEM Working Group, pg. 12). Our project focuses on adult-child engagement in STEM and includes adults who interact with children in many different contexts, with a focus on families of color living and working in three farming regions of NM. The report authors also write that we must work to change adults' existing attitudes about STEM "by building adults' and children's self-efficacy around their ability to learn and do STEM, especially in groups that are traditionally underrepresented in STEM careers, such as women and minorities." (Early Childhood STEM Working Group, pg. 16). Our project focuses on community-embedded STEMactivities that build interest and confidence in STEM for children of color in local rural areas.