Led by Dr. Martin Storksdieck, Dr. Kelly Riedinger, and Brianna Keys, the STEM Research Center is partnering with the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science, Maine Math and Science Alliance, Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and the University of Wisconsin Institute for Discovery for a three-year NSF-funded Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) project that seeks to engage middle school-aged girls in rural Maine in using technology as a science communication tool. Art-interested girls are engaged in an art-technology summer camp and fall after-school program to learn how to use ARIS, a software program that allows the user to create digital games, stories, and scavenger hunts. The girls work with local arts educators and scientists to develop a digital game to communicate about a local environmental issue. The goal of the project is to develop girls’ awareness of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) communication careers. The project explores whether engaging in the experience increases girls' awareness of these careers, changes their perspectives about the role of communication in science, and increases their self-efficacy for doing science or becoming lifelong learners of science. Read more here...

 

Recent publications

  • Stylinski, C. D., Kamarainen, A., Storksdieck, M., Gagnon, D., Kermish-Allen, R., & Riedinger, K. (2021). Using Design of Location-Based Augmented Reality Experiences to Engage Art-Oriented Girls in Technology and Science. Frontiers in Education, 6, 398. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.689512