NSF Awards: 1850343
Welcome to Y-CITYSCI!
Y-CITYSCI is an out-of-school time program in which middle and early high school students design, carry out, and communicate findings from technology-rich community-focused environmental citizen science projects. The project team--faculty and educators from a local university--guide underrepresented area youth in co-created citizen science projects, specifically focusing on environmental issues relevant to the youth and their community and collecting data using high-tech sensors and drones. This video showcases youth collecting data in their community using air monitors, soil samplers, noise sensors, and drones. We also show how the youth shared their findings with their communities and the wider public through blogging, social media, and poster sessions.
The project team is examining how participation in community-focused environmental citizen science, including innovative citizen science cafes, impacts youth science identity development. We hope that by conducting citizen science embedded within both the local and scientific communities, the student participants will develop and strengthen their science identities. The long-term objective is to encourage youth to pursue an education pathway that leads to a STEM career.
Connie Flanagan
great project. love the teacher's comments of welcoming grad students who collaborate on the work. would be very interested in how you measured science identity and what you found about whether students' science identities increased as a result of their participation.
Elizabeth Wolk
Graduate Assistant
Hello, Connie,
We measured science identity by doing qualitative interviews with the students and we classified it as low, moderate, and high science identity based on the response. We did interviews prior to the club starting then again at the end. Based on the qualitative interviews, we have seen an increase in the students' science identities.
Georgia Bracey
Research Assistant Professor
Hi Connie,
Thanks for your comment! Our graduate students are great support for the classroom teachers as well as important near-peer mentors/role models for the youth participants. I'll add a bit to Elizabeth's reply... we used a three-part conceptual model for identity based on the work of Carlone and Johnson (2007). As we thematically analyzed the interviews, we looked for aspects of performance, competence, and recognition related to their science experiences.
Connie Flanagan
Thanks for this info on how you measured science identity.
Sally Crissman
Senior Science Educator
The blurring of boundaries between classroom and out-of-school (in the community) science, and teacher, grad students and middle/HS students is so encouraging! I also loved seeing students using technology to collect and represent data. How do "recruit" students to be part of the program? Do they stick with their projects over time? How are you following participants to see if they do pursue and education pathway that leads to a stem career? (personal comment: a similar experience in elementary school led to my own long and rewarding stem career!)
Ann Podleski
I think "blurring the boundaries" is an essential component of education and is what is needed in order to increase participation in STEM. We attempted to have outside of classroom academic experiences as one of our key components in our project and were able to see some of the positive impacts of this. There is still the issue of making connections between what is "covered" in a class vs. what happens in "doing science". (Daniel's comment about students excited about Science club, but had failed science class - what can this teach us is something to think about.)
Candice Johnson
Chanda Jefferson
Elizabeth Wolk
Graduate Assistant
Hi, Ann!
I agree that blurring the boundaries is important. We try our best to expose students to as much technology and guest speakers as possible to provide them with opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise get in most cases to complement their learning that takes place in the regular science classroom during the school day. It seems that students learn mainly from books during the day and lack opportunities to apply their skills in real-life, talk to scientists in the field, and do research they are leading. So, we try to provide them with those opportunities.
I also agree that we can definitely learn a lot from the students, especially the students that are excited for science club, but failed a science class.We do not have exact data on that as we are not collecting their grades but from experience working with students that have struggled in school, I believe the main points are that the science club is not for a grade and is more welcoming for students to explore and try things they would otherwise be reluctant to do. I also think that with the projects being more student-led, that helps as they are more interested and engaged when they have input into what they are doing.
Daniel Damelin
Daniel Damelin
Senior Scientist
It was interesting to hear some students who are excited about Science Club had failed science class. What might we learn from that regarding what might be brought into formal science instruction to engage more students?
I'm also curious about how students develop ideas for projects/questions they will pursue.
Candice Johnson
Chanda Jefferson
Lillian Ward
Graduate Assistant
Hey Daniel, great points! Yeah it would be interesting to see if we could translate that after school program energy into the everyday curriculum. And as for the project ideas, we guide the students in a general direction (air quality, noise pollution, etc.) and help them to come up with a question that answers something they are curious about in that field.
Sarah Olsen
+1 to Daniel's comment. Do you think the science club is a more welcoming environment for students, and if so, how is that achieved?
I also appreciate how your video highlights the importance of students' use of scientific equipment. I've observed students brimming with pride as they explain to others' how to use the XRF analyzer while testing for lead in soil samples in our program (video here). Many are also very excited to share their findings with their community and families. What have you observed students doing (or what do you hope that they do) with the knowledge learned in the science club?
Candice Johnson
Elizabeth Wolk
Graduate Assistant
Hi, Sarah!
We definitely think the science club is a more welcoming environment for the students. The science club does more hands-on learning than the regular science classes during the school day that tends to be more book work. The science club is also more student led with student input to allow them to pose their own questions to work on with structure and support. The regular science classes they get during the school day tends to be more state-mandated curriculum that does not allow for much student input. Our curriculum does align to science standards, but has more flexibility for student input.
Through research, we have observed students becoming more interested in science and think more about pursuing a career in STEM. We hope that through the program that students will become more knowledgeable about their environment, the role they play in their environment, how their actions impact the environment, and ways they can help their environment. And ultimately, a future career in environmental science.
Kauser Jahan
very interesting project. lake the outdoor data collection component
Candice Johnson
Sarah Chapman
Candice Johnson
Chanda Jefferson
Russanne Low
One of the most compelling parts of this project is seeing how the students are choosing the research topics themselves- so they are participating in every aspect of the science process. Besides air quality, mentioned in the video, what other projects have been created and led by the students? How do you get the process of selecting a project off the ground with the students? What kinds of data have you collected with drones? Terrific!
Candice Johnson
Chanda Jefferson
Lillian Ward
Graduate Assistant
Hi Russanne, thanks for the comment!
Yes, it's so great when students get to see every step of the process. Many of them come in overwhelmed (reasonably so) at the prospect of conducting a research project from start to finish...I remember feeling the same way the first time I did it! But through this process they learn that it all happens in stages, not all at once. Doing one little bit at a time is much less intimidating than thinking about the project as a whole, and I think that realization helps the students warm up to science.
As for past projects, there have been some on soil pollution and noise pollution as well. Once we help them choose a topic, we start helping them take the steps to get the project going, like background research and data collection. As far as drones, students have used drone imagery in past projects to visualize an area being impacted by the subject in question (soil pollution, air quality, etc.)
Thanks!
Chanda Jefferson
Educator/Education Policy Fellow
Hi my name is Chanda Jefferson and I am so happy to join the conversation. This project excites me and I wish that I had the support of scientists and graduate students when I was teaching! I taught in Title I schools my entire career and as a high school science teacher many of my students needed extra time being immersed in the scientific process, so I created an afterschool program and a science club. Connecting STEM experiences to students' lives causes them to be more engaged. Dr. Christopher Emdin talks about this in his book STEM, STEAM, Make Dream. I am curious to know if you all plan to compile some of the strategies that you use in the afterschool program to support STEM teachers instruction during the school day? Can the strategies be embedded into daily STEM instruction to increase engagement? I love this project!
Candice Johnson
Elizabeth Wolk
Graduate Assistant
Hello, Chanda!
We are glad you're here! Thank you for being a teacher and getting students interested in science!
I will definitely need to read the book by Dr. Emdin. I do not think we have thought about writing a book on the strategies yet, but that is something we should consider. I am sure the strategies used could be embedded into daily STEM instruction to increase student engagement. I will be sure to suggest that.
Chanda Jefferson