Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021;4(4):10.15695/jstem/v4i4.01.
doi: 10.15695/jstem/v4i4.01. Epub 2021 Oct 4.

STEM Through Authentic Research and Training Program (START) for Underrepresented Communities: Adapting to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Luke H Bradley  1   2   3 , Brittany N Derr  4 , Catherine E Durbin  1   3 , Michael J Lauer  5 , Fara Williams  6 , Anthony P Sinai  7 , Julie A Bradley  4 , Margaret Mohr-Schroeder  8
Affiliations

STEM Through Authentic Research and Training Program (START) for Underrepresented Communities: Adapting to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Luke H Bradley et al. J STEM Outreach. 2021.

Abstract

The STEM Through Authentic Research and Training (START) Program is a new program integrating academic, social, and professional experiences, in the theme of exomedicine, to build a pipeline into college for first generation and traditionally underrepresented students by providing year-round authentic opportunities and professional development for high school students and teachers. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the START Program has worked with the local Fayette County public school and community partners to provide content to over 300 students through: virtual laboratory tours with community partner Space Tango, "meet a scientist" discussions, and online near-peer student demonstrations aimed at making the practice of STEM disciplines approachable. Furthermore, the START Program has partnered with Higher Orbits to provide at-home, space-themed learning kits for students to develop teamwork, communication, and STEM principles while engaging in online content with teachers, professionals, and astronauts. Finally, the START Program has moved its training platforms online, including receiving College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) Peer Educator accreditation for our near-peer mentoring and coaching training. As a result, the START Program is better positioned to address this critical need in STEM education, while reaching more students in the community than possible with face-to-face interactions alone.

Keywords: Coaching; Distance Learning; Exomedicine; Mentoring.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
START Student Program Pipeline. The START pipeline seeks to provide seamless scaffolding of student learning from program to program by utilizing inquiry-based learning and authentic STEM experiences, producing better prepared students as they move up the pipeline. Each program is designed to create access and opportunity and to support underrepresented students in STEM in a developmentally appropriate way and decreasing “melt” from program to program by using highly trained near-peer/peer mentors/coaches. As students progress in the pipeline, they are trained and become the next group of near-peer STEM role models and mentors.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
START Mission Patch Logo. In the theme of space missions, the START Program has designed a logo that is printed on stickers, patches, and face masks to provide to students, teachers, and community partners to build a sense of belonging in the program. Future logos will be designed by START Apprentices to further build ownership in the program.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
START Ambassador Participation by Grade. Of the 302 START Ambassadors, most of the students are in Grades 9 and 10. Ambassadors will become Apprentices in Grades 11 and 12 if they conduct STEM internships.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Agee K, and Hodges R (2012). CRLA Tutor and Mentor Training Handbook. Cengage Learning, Columbus, OH.
    1. Castleman B, and Page L (2015). Summer nudging: Can personalized text messages and peer mentor outreach increase college going among low-income high school graduates. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 115, 144–160.
    1. Chang MJ, Sharkness J, Hurtado S, and Newman CB (2014). What matters in college for retaining aspiring scientists and engineers from underrepresented racial groups. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51(5), 555–580.
    1. Collings R, Swanson V, and Watkins R (2014). The impact of peer mentoring on levels of student wellbeing, integration and retention: A controlled comparative evaluation of residential students in UK higher education. Higher Education, 68(6), 927–942.
    1. Edmonds-Cady C, and Sosulski MR (2012). Applications of situated learning to foster communities of practice. Journal of Social Work Education, 48(1), 45–64.

LinkOut - more resources