Nano-satellites and East Bay Rocket Scientists (NEARS)

纳米卫星和东湾火箭科学家 (NEARS)

• 批准号: 1615158
• 负责人: Matthew Cannady
• 金额: $ 120万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-08-01 至 2021-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1615158&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Nano; satellites; East; Bay; Rocket

Careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are predicted to grow at a pace higher than that of non-STEM careers; however, fewer students are meeting the required benchmarks to enter the STEM workforce. The current demand for computer scientists far outweighs the current number of students pursuing computer science (CS) degrees, and those students include very few women and girls, racial and ethnic minorities, and individuals from low-income families. The investigators of this study hypothesize that enabling youth from groups who are underrepresented in STEM with the opportunity to program satellites to collect data for investigations of their own design, in a supportive and collaborative environment, is a powerful motivator of learning and interest in science and computer programming careers. The Nanosatellites and East Bay Rocket Scientists (NEARS) project will develop and study a model that includes 1) engaging youth in designing and conducting locally-relevant scientific investigations that use programmable sensors on earth and on nanosatellites in low-earth orbit; 2) supporting youth leadership skills and contributions to their communities' awareness about locally-relevant issues; and 3) providing youth and their families with opportunities to learn about STEM careers and engage with STEM professionals. Research activities will be carried out in three urban settings-- an alternative career academy school, an after-school program, and summer camps at Lawrence Hall of Science-- that serve high school-aged youth and young adults from underserved communities of the East San Francisco Bay area. A collaborative team of learning scientists at the Lawrence Hall of Science, STEM professionals from ArduSat, and facilitators from the local communities served will work together to design, develop, test, and refine the activities and instructional materials for effective use in different educational contexts. If promising, the activities, instructional materials, and facilitator guides developed through this project would be used in several ongoing programs at the Hall and could be adopted by others seeking to provide similar experiences for youth in their communities. This project will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) by exploring unique opportunities for youth in underserved communities to conduct scientific investigations that feature programming nanosatellites. The Nanosatellites and East Bay Rocket Scientists (NEARS) will develop, implement, and study a model to engage urban youth in grades 9-12 in science and computer programming. The project will develop a progression of inquiry-based student investigations that align with the Next Generation Science Standards and supportive pedagogies that, together, will facilitate youth in participating in STEM and improving their perceptions of and competencies in STEM. The team will iteratively develop, pilot, and refine the activities and materials in each of the three contexts. Ninety students will participate in the research activities over three years. Data sources for research include student work products, video-recorded observations, pre-post surveys, pre-post computational thinking assessments, and case study interviews. Outcome measures include participants' science investigation and discourse practices; STEM fascination, value, and competency beliefs; computer science competencies; career awareness; descriptions of self, particularly with regarding to STEM; and engagement in the project activities. The research seeks to understand how participation in NEARS affects student outcomes; how students, their experiences, and their outcomes vary across the different learning settings and enactments; and what is needed to support project sustainability in each setting. Major outcomes will include 1) educational resources and research that support the effective use of Arduino-controlled nanosatellites in education; 2) understandings of whether and how elements of this contextualized Arduino programming lead to interest in CS; 3) information that will support others in the development of sustainable programming for urban youth; and 4) rich case study descriptions of individuals' pathways to STEM. Research and development products will be shared widely with research, education, and industry communities and include local and national dissemination through social media, partner networks, conference presentations, and research publications.

科学、技术、工程和数学 (STEM) 领域的职业预计将以高于非 STEM 职业的速度增长；然而，达到进入 STEM 劳动力市场所需标准的学生却越来越少。当前对计算机科学家的需求远远超过当前攻读计算机科学（CS）学位的学生数量，而这些学生中包括极少数妇女和女孩、少数族裔和来自低收入家庭的个人。这项研究的研究人员假设，在支持和协作的环境中，让来自 STEM 领域代表性不足的群体的年轻人有机会对卫星进行编程，收集数据以进行自己设计的调查，是学习和对科学和技术产生兴趣的强大动力。计算机编程职业。 纳米卫星和东湾火箭科学家（NEARS）项目将开发和研究一个模型，其中包括：1）让年轻人参与设计和开展与当地相关的科学研究，这些调查使用地球上和近地轨道纳米卫星上的可编程传感器； 2) 支持青年的领导技能并为其社区提高当地相关问题的意识做出贡献； 3) 为青少年及其家人提供了解 STEM 职业并与 STEM 专业人士互动的机会。研究活动将在三个城市环境中进行——一所另类职业学院、一个课后项目和劳伦斯科学馆的夏令营——为高中年龄段的青少年和来自东部服务欠缺社区的年轻人提供服务旧金山湾区。由劳伦斯科学馆的学习科学家、ArduSat 的 STEM 专业人员以及所服务的当地社区的协调员组成的协作团队将共同设计、开发、测试和完善活动和教学材料，以便在不同的教育环境中有效使用。如果有希望，通过该项目开发的活动、教学材料和辅导员指南将用于大厅正在进行的几个项目，并且可以被其他寻求为社区青年提供类似体验的人采用。该项目将推进学生和教师创新技术体验 (ITEST) 计划的努力，通过探索为服务水平低下社区的年轻人提供以编程纳米卫星为特色的科学研究的独特机会。纳米卫星和东湾火箭科学家 (NEARS) 将开发、实施和研究一种模型，吸引 9 至 12 年级的城市青少年参与科学和计算机编程。该项目将开展一系列基于探究的学生调查，这些调查符合下一代科学标准和支持性教学法，共同促进青少年参与 STEM 并提高他们对 STEM 的看法和能力。该团队将在这三种情况下迭代开发、试点和完善活动和材料。九十名学生将参加三年的研究活动。研究的数据来源包括学生作业产品、录像观察、事前调查、事前计算思维评估和案例研究访谈。结果衡量包括参与者的科学调查和话语实践； STEM 的魅力、价值和能力信念；计算机科学能力；职业意识；自我描述，特别是有关 STEM 的描述；和参与项目活动。该研究旨在了解参与 NEARS 如何影响学生的成绩；学生、他们的经历和结果在不同的学习环境和行为中有何不同；以及在每种情况下需要什么来支持项目的可持续性。主要成果将包括 1) 支持在教育中有效使用 Arduino 控制的纳米卫星的教育资源和研究； 2) 了解这种情境化 Arduino 编程元素是否以及如何引发对 CS 的兴趣； 3) 支持他人制定城市青年可持续规划的信息； 4) 对个人通往 STEM 之路的丰富案例研究描述。研发产品将与研究、教育和工业界广泛共享，包括通过社交媒体、合作伙伴网络、会议演示和研究出版物在地方和全国传播。