The STEM Research Center partnered 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 engaged middle school-aged girls in rural Maine in using technology as a science communication tool.
Art-interested girls were engaged in an art-technology summer camp program through art organization partners throughout rural Maine to learn how to use an augmented reality (AR) software program to communicate about local environmental issues in their communities. The goal of the project was to develop girls’ awareness of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) communication careers. The project’s research explored whether engaging in the experience increased girls' awareness of these careers, changed their perspectives about the role of communication in science, and increased their self-efficacy for doing science or becoming lifelong learners of science.
