NIH SciEd 2024: Annual Conference for NIH Science Education Projects


Annual Conference for NIH SEPA, NCI YES R25, Interactive Digital Media STEM SBIR/STTR, and other NIH science education projects

When:May 28-31, 2024
Where:Little America Hotel
Address:Salt Lake City, Utah

Hello SEPA PIs,

We’re excited to announce that the SciEd 2024 Conference will be held outside of Washington, DC for the first time since 2013!

  • Dates: Tuesday, May 28 (evening reception) to Friday, May 31 (ending before lunch).
  • Location: Salt Lake City, UT

Both the conference registration fee and the lodging room rate will be considerably lower than they have been in DC. To help us plan this exciting conference, we’re looking for volunteers for the 2024 SciEd Organizing Committee who:

  • Have attended at least one previous SciEd Conference
  • Have significant experience with a SEPA project, such as PI/MPI/co-PI, key personnel, project manager, post-doc, evaluator, etc.

We especially encourage individuals from underrepresented populations in STEM (see NIH’s definition here) to be part of the committee.

Participating on the Organizing Committee gives you a voice in:

  • Identifying speakers, panelists and formats for plenary sessions
  • Planning breakout and other types of sessions that meet you and your colleagues’ interests

Interested individuals are requested to contact us by Wednesday, December 6.

SciEd Strands:

  • Broadening Participation
  • Curriculum Development
  • Informal Science Education
  • Interactive Multimedia
  • Project Administration
  • Research and Evaluation
  • Research Experiences for Students and Teachers
  • Science Teaching and Learning (student programs)
  • Teacher Professional Development

Serving on the Organizing Committee involves:

  • Serving as a Strand Leader for one of the above strands – at least two people co-lead each Strand
    • Identify topics related to your Strand that are of interest to the SciEd community
    • Identify appropriate presenters for these topics and invite them to submit a breakout or short session proposal; this could include yourself and/or your co-strand leader
    • Review session proposals related to your Strand
  • Participate in 1-2 Organizing Committee phone calls as well as email discussions to discuss the conference organization, potential plenary speakers/sessions, etc.
  • Write a report on one of the plenary sessions that will be included in the Conference Report

Please feel free to share this announcement with anyone on your team who might be interested.

We look forward to a stimulating and fruitful SciEd 2024 conference!

Louisa Stark & Kristin Bass
SciEd 2024 Conference Co-Chairs


NIH SciEd Conference Schedule, Session Information and Downloads

Download Conference Schedule

Wednesday, May 29th, 2024

Breakfast 6:30 AM
Meeting for New SEPA PIs

  • Breakfast
    Meeting for New SEPA PIs
    May 29, 2024 6:30 am

    Breakfast
    Breakfast is available to conference attendees 6:30am – 8:00am

    Meeting for New SEPA PIs

    Tony Beck, PhD, Program Director, Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA), Division for Research Capacity Building, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), NIH

    Room: Wyoming


    Kelleher, Travis A

  • SEPA Pre-Application Webinar
    How a Microtubule Builds and Deconstructs

Conference Check-in 7:00 AM
Conference Registration Desk

  • Conference Check-in
    Conference Registration Desk
    May 29, 2024 7:00 am

    Conference Check-in
    Conference Registration Desk 7:00-8:00 AM


    Thomas, Jimmie W – MEd

* Welcome and Conference Overview 8:00 AM

  • * Welcome and Conference Overview

    May 29, 2024 8:00 am

    8:00-8:20
    Louisa A. Stark, PhD, Professor of Human Genetics, and Director, Genetic Science Learning Center, University of Utah – conference co-chair
    Kristin Bass, PhD, Director of Research Development, Rockman et al Cooperative, Inc – conference co-chair
    Neli Ulrich, PhD, Executive Director, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah Health
    8:00-8:20 AM


    Stark, Louisa A. – PhD

    Bass, Kristin M – PhD


Networking Activity 8:20 AM
Begin making connections!

  • Networking Activity
    Begin making connections!
    May 29, 2024 8:20 am

    8:20-8:50

    PI Networking


* Keynote Address: Opening Doors: Increasing Access and Success in K-12 STEM 8:50 AM
Opening Doors: Increasing Access and Success in K-12 STEM

  • * Keynote Address: Opening Doors: Increasing Access and Success in K-12 STEM
    Opening Doors: Increasing Access and Success in K-12 STEM
    May 29, 2024 8:50 am

    8:50-10:00

    Kristen Hengtgen, PhD, Senior Analyst P-12 Policy, The Education Trust


  • Day 1, Morning Session

Break 10:00 AM

  • Break

    May 29, 2024 10:00 am

    Break 10:00-10:15 AM


Concurrent Breakout Sessions 1 10:15 AM
* Meet the Trans-NIH SEPA Program Officers

  • Concurrent Breakout Sessions 1
    * Meet the Trans-NIH SEPA Program Officers
    May 29, 2024 10:15 am

    10:15-11:30 AM

    Short Talks: Informal Science Education, and Research Experiences for Students & Teachers Strands
    Interactivity Level = Low
    Room: Arizona

    STEM+M CONNECT: A Multi-Tiered Mentoring Program that Combines the Residential Experiences of Tufts Mini-Med School
    Elizabeth Gene-Bacon, Revati Masilamani, Berri Jacque
    Research Experiences for Students & Teachers; Broadening Participation

    Research Experience for High School Students: Using a Cohort Model to Scaffold Scientific Content, Skills, and Confidence
    Cathleen Drilling, Rosalind Palma Martins
    Research Experiences for Students & Teachers; Broadening Participation

    The Appalachian Career Training in ONcology (ACTION) Program: Students’ Perspective on Experiences and Outcomes (30 minutes)
    Nathan L. Vanderford, Holly Burke, and undergraduate student participants: Nolan Marcum, Olivia Thornsbury, Matthew Sanders
    Informal Science Education; Research Experiences for Students & Teachers

    Writing Text for Informal Science Learning
    Victoria Coats
    Informal Science Education

    Motivating Extended Engagement and STEM Learning in a Free-Choice Environment: Immersive Games Offer Playful Challenge
    Teresa MacDonald, Anastasia Thanukos, Lisa White
    Interactivity Level = High
    Informal Science Education; Science Teaching & Learning
    Room: Olympus

    Aligning Multimedia to NGSS
    Brinley Kantorski, Georgia Hodges, Kelly Bruzdewicz, Kristin Fenker
    Interactivity Level = High
    Instructional Multimedia; Curriculum Development
    Room: Idaho

    * Meet the Trans-NIH SEPA Program Officers
    Katherine Neilsen, facilitator
    Tony Beck, PhD, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
    Neeraj Agarwal, National Eye Institute (NEI)
    Anissa F Brown, PhD, National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
    Maria Carranza, PhD, National Institute on Aging (NIA)
    Dorothy (Dottie) M. Castille, PhD, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
    (Jay) James Churchill, PhD, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
    Bryan Kim, Office of Data Science Strategy (ODSS)
    Kathy Mann Koepke, PhD, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
    Marguerite Matthews, PhD, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
    Interactivity Level = Low
    Program Administration
    Room: Grand Ballroom

    Short Talks: Research & Evaluation Strand
    Interactivity Level = Low
    Room: Wyoming

    Causal Analysis of the Impact of the Hillman Academy on Student Postsecondary Outcomes
    Alberto Guzman-Alvarez, Danielle Lowry, David N. Boone
    Research & Evaluation; Research Experiences for Students & Teachers

    Impact of Career Videos on Career Aspirations, Possible Selves, and Interest in Science of High School Students
    Harini Kirshnan, Rebecca J. Peterson, Rochelle Cassells, Arthur Veneema, Louisa A. Stark
    Research & Evaluation; Research Experiences for Students & Teachers

    The Impact of the Metagenomics Education Partnership Project on Students: Self-Efficacy, Science-Identity, and Sense of Belonging
    Sunha Kim, Weiyi Ding, Steve Koury, Sandra Small
    Research & Evaluation; Broadening Participation

    Utilizing Small Group Cognitive Labs for Effective Assessment Item Validation
    Rebecca J. Peterson, Harini Krishnan, Dina Drits-Esser, Louisa A. Stark
    Research & Evaluation

    Exploring Issues of Power, Agency, and Justice in K-12 Science Classrooms Through 3 Cases of NGSS Curriculum Design and Enactment
    Barbara Hug, Kristen Bergsman, Jeanne Chowning, Regina Wu, Irene S. Bayer, Consuelo Morales, Mon-Lin Monica Ko
    Interactivity Level = High
    Science Teaching & Learning; Curriculum Development
    Room: Teton


Lunch 11:30 AM
PBS Student Reporting Labs Working Group meeting Room: Wyoming

  • Lunch
    PBS Student Reporting Labs Working Group meeting Room: Wyoming
    May 29, 2024 11:30 am

    11:30-12:45 PM
    PBS Student Reporting Labs Working Group meeting
    This is an opportunity for participants in the PBS NewsHour’s STEM StoryMaker project and those interested in learning about it to meet and share their work.
    Room: Wyoming

    Evaluator’s Lunch Conversation
    This is an opportunity for internal and external evaluators to get to know each other and share their work.
    Room: Arizona


* NIH Updates 12:45 PM
Update on the NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) Program Tony Beck, PhD, Program Director, Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA), Division for Research Capacity Building, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), NIH Update on the NCI Youth Enjoy Science Research Education Program Sangeeta Ghosh, PhD, Program Director, Diversity Training Branch, Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH [virtual]

  • * NIH Updates
    Update on the NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) Program Tony Beck, PhD, Program Director, Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA), Division for Research Capacity Building, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), NIH Update on the NCI Youth Enjoy Science Research Education Program Sangeeta Ghosh, PhD, Program Director, Diversity Training Branch, Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH [virtual]
    May 29, 2024 12:45 pm

    12:45-1:15 PM
    Update on the NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) Program
    Tony Beck, PhD, Program Director, Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA), Division for Research Capacity Building, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), NIH

    Update on the NCI Youth Enjoy Science Research Education Program
    Sangeeta Ghosh, PhD, Program Director, Diversity Training Branch, Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH [virtual]


Break 1:15 PM

  • Break

    May 29, 2024 1:15 pm

    Break 1:15-1:30 PM


Poster Roundtables Session 1 1:30 PM
See Poster Roundtable sessions and rooms at end of schedule

  • Poster Roundtables Session 1
    See Poster Roundtable sessions and rooms at end of schedule
    May 29, 2024 1:30 pm

    1:30-2:15 PM
    See Poster Roundtable sessions and rooms at the link.


Break 2:15 PM

  • Break

    May 29, 2024 2:15 pm

    Break 2:15-2:30 PM


Concurrent Breakout Sessions 2 2:30 PM

  • Concurrent Breakout Sessions 2

    May 29, 2024 2:30 pm

    2:30-3:45 PM
    Engaging Families in STEM Education Programs
    Holly Burke, Michelle Johnson, Megan Mekinda, Regina Idoate, Aislinn Rookwood
    Interactivity Level = High
    Broadening Participation; Informal Science Education
    Room: Wyoming

    Incorporating Cutting-Edge Research into Curriculum and Instruction: Opportunities and Challenges
    Dana Brown Haine, Lynn C. Chesnut, Kathleen M. Gray
    Interactivity Level = High
    Curriculum Development; Teacher Professional Development
    Room: Olympus

    * Video Showcase
    Interactive Multimedia Strand
    See list of titles and presenters at end of schedule
    Interactivity Level = Low
    Room: Grand Ballroom

    Short Talks: Research & Evaluation Strand
    Interactivity Level = Low
    Room: Arizona

    Diversity with Dignity: Re-examining Approaches of Diversity Initiatives
    Paul Cotter, Ellen Chenoweth, Arleigh Reynolds
    Research & Evaluation; Broadening Participation

    The Impact of Hands-on Research Experience to URM Trainees
    Valoree Solis
    Research & Evaluation; Research Experiences for Students & Teachers

    Supporting the Personal and Academic Wellbeing of Our Student Volunteers by Building Intra- and Inter-personal Assets
    Lindley McDavid, Sandra San Miguel, Loran Carleton Parker, Ann Bessenbacher
    Research & Evaluation

    High School Students’ Scientific Identity Improves After Participating in a One-Week SEPA STEM Summer Immersion Program
    Michelle Borrero, Edjean Calderón
    Research & Evaluation

    Engaging Teachers and Students with Big Data Through the NIH All of Us Research Hub
    Mathew Blank, Molly Malone, Alexa Wnorowski
    Interactivity Level = Moderate
    Research Experiences for Students and Teachers; Science Teaching & Learning
    Room: Teton

    Bridge Builders: Fostering Teamwork and a Sense of Belonging in STEM
    Rachel Harris, Ren Rountree
    Interactivity Level = High
    Science Teaching and Learning; Curriculum Development
    Room: Idaho


Break 3:45 PM

  • Break

    May 29, 2024 3:45 pm

    Break 3:45-4:00 PM


Poster Roundtables Session 2 4:00 PM
See Poster Roundtable sessions and rooms at end of schedule

  • Poster Roundtables Session 2
    See Poster Roundtable sessions and rooms at end of schedule
    May 29, 2024 4:00 pm

    4:00-4:45 PM
    See Poster Roundtable sessions and rooms at the link.


Exploring intersections between informal and formal science education Natural History Museum of Utah https://nhmu.utah.edu/ 5:00 PM
Shuttles to the Museum at 5:00, 5:30, 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30 Dinner and time to explore A Climate of Hope and Native Voices exhibits Shuttles back to Little America Hotel at ~5:15, 5:45, 6:15, 6:45, 7:15, 7:45, 8:15, 8:45 (Shuttle trips are 15 minutes each way)

  • Exploring intersections between informal and formal science education Natural History Museum of Utah https://nhmu.utah.edu/
    Shuttles to the Museum at 5:00, 5:30, 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30 Dinner and time to explore A Climate of Hope and Native Voices exhibits Shuttles back to Little America Hotel at ~5:15, 5:45, 6:15, 6:45, 7:15, 7:45, 8:15, 8:45 (Shuttle trips are 15 minutes each way)
    May 29, 2024 5:00 pm

    5:00-9:00 PM
    Exploring intersections between informal and formal science education
    Natural History Museum of Utah
    Shuttles to the Museum at 5:00, 5:30, 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30
    Dinner and time to explore A Climate of Hope and Native Voices exhibits
    Shuttles back to Little America Hotel at ~5:15, 5:45, 6:15, 6:45, 7:15, 7:45, 8:15, 8:45
    (Shuttle trips are 15 minutes each way)


Thursday, May 30th, 2024

Breakfast 6:30 AM

  • Breakfast

    May 30, 2024 6:30 am

    Breakfast 6:30-8:00 AM


Introduction to Day 2 & Networking Activity 8:00 AM
Introduction to Day 2 & Networking Activity

  • Introduction to Day 2 & Networking Activity
    Introduction to Day 2 & Networking Activity
    May 30, 2024 8:00 am

    8:00-8:30 AM


* Keynote Address: AI Goes to School: The Future of Learning Technologies in the Age of AI 8:30 AM

  • * Keynote Address: AI Goes to School: The Future of Learning Technologies in the Age of AI

    May 30, 2024 8:30 am

    8:30-9:30 AM
    * Keynote Address: AI Goes to School: The Future of Learning Technologies in the Age of AI
    James Lester, PhD, Goodnight Distinguished University Professor in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; Director of the National Science Foundation AI Institute for Engaged Learning; and Director of the Center for Educational Informatics, North Carolina State University; Dr. Lester is a former SEPA PI.


Break 9:30 AM

  • Break

    May 30, 2024 9:30 am

    Break 9:45-10:00 AM


* Short Talk: Integrating AI into a Data Science Focused, Informal Science Education Curriculum 9:45 AM
Theresa W. Gillespie, PhD, MA, BSN, FAAN, and Adam Marcus, PhD, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University

  • * Short Talk: Integrating AI into a Data Science Focused, Informal Science Education Curriculum
    Theresa W. Gillespie, PhD, MA, BSN, FAAN, and Adam Marcus, PhD, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University
    May 30, 2024 9:45 am

    9:45-10:00 AM
    * Short Talk: Integrating AI into a Data Science Focused, Informal Science Education Curriculum
    Theresa W. Gillespie, PhD, MA, BSN, FAAN, and Adam Marcus, PhD, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University


AI Data Activity and Table Discussions 10:00 AM
AI Data Activity and Table Discussions

Break 10:45 AM

  • Break

    May 30, 2024 10:45 am

    Break 10:45-11:00 AM


Poster Roundtables Session 3 11:00 AM
See Poster Roundtable sessions and rooms at end of schedule

  • Poster Roundtables Session 3
    See Poster Roundtable sessions and rooms at end of schedule
    May 30, 2024 11:00 am

    11:00-11:45 AM
    Poster Roundtables Session 3
    See Poster Roundtable sessions and rooms at the link.


Lunch 11:45 AM
Closed meeting for NCI Youth Enjoy Science R25 grantees Room: Wyoming

  • Lunch
    Closed meeting for NCI Youth Enjoy Science R25 grantees Room: Wyoming
    May 30, 2024 11:45 am

    11:45-1:00 PM
    Closed meeting for NCI Youth Enjoy Science R25 grantees
    Room: Wyoming


Concurrent Breakout Sessions 3 1:00 PM
Concurrent Breakout Sessions 3

  • Concurrent Breakout Sessions 3
    Concurrent Breakout Sessions 3
    May 30, 2024 1:00 pm

    1:00-2:15 PM
    Building Bridges: Engaging in Strategic Partnerships for Advancing Cancer Research and Education
    Emily McLaughlin
    Interactivity Level = High
    Broadening Participation
    Room: Arizona

    Curriculum and Multimedia Showcase
    Curriculum Development; Interactive Multimedia
    See list of titles and presenters at end of schedule
    Room: Grand Ballroom

    More Than Surveys: Strategies to Increase Student Engagement in Evaluation Through Participatory Methods
    Rachel Scott, Sarah Mason, Marie Barnard, Tess Johnson, Sondra LoRe
    Interactivity Level = High
    Research & Evaluation Strand; Informal Science Education
    Room: Idaho

    Data Science Empowerment for SEPA Students: Engaging Students Through a Collaborative Portal of Big Data Applications Using Student Generated Experimental Results
    Jake Luo, Mohammad Assadi Shalmani, Craig Berg, Michael Carvan, Renee Hesselbach, David Petering
    Interactivity Level = High
    Research Experiences for Students & Teachers; Science Teaching & Learning
    Room: Olympus

    Classroom-Based Communities of Practice to Promote Science Learning and Science Specific Disciplinary Literacy in Elementary School
    Alana Newell, Misty Sailors, Jimmie Thomas, Molly Marek, Dolores Garay, Nancy Moreno
    Interactivity Level = High
    Science Teaching & Learning; Curriculum Development
    Room: Wyoming

    Independent High School Research: HRI Challenges Texas Schools to Try It Out
    Gwen Stovall, Deanna Buckley, Bailey Williams
    Interactivity Level = High
    Teacher Professional Development; Curriculum Development
    Room: Teton


Break 2:15 PM

  • Break

    May 30, 2024 2:15 pm

    Break 2:15-2:30 PM


Concurrent Breakout Sessions 4 2:30 PM
Concurrent Breakout Sessions 4

  • Concurrent Breakout Sessions 4
    Concurrent Breakout Sessions 4
    May 30, 2024 2:30 pm

    2:30-3:45 PM
    Thursday, Concurrent Breakout Sessions 4 – 2:30-3:45pm – The rooms for 2 sessions have been switched:

    Persistence in STEM: Sharing Strategies and Resources
    Katherine Nielsen, Jeanne Chowning, Dave Vannier
    Interactivity Level = High
    Broadening Participation; Research Experiences for Students & Teachers
    Room: Snowbasin

    “What I’ve Learned Along the Way”: Reflections from SEPA/YES Program Leaders on Proposals to Publications and Everything in Between
    Maurice Godfrey, Pamela Koch, Alana Newell, Nathan Vanderford; moderator: Jocelyn Dixon
    Interactivity Level = Moderate
    Project Administration
    Room: Teton

    Integrating Career Awareness and Exploration Into K-12 Classrooms
    Erin E. Hardin, Melinda M. Gibbons
    Interactivity Level = High
    Curriculum Development
    Room: Idaho

    Game Design in the Classroom
    Vanya Manthena, Jessica Henry, Yul A. Stites
    Interactivity Level = High
    Interactive Multimedia; Curriculum Development
    Room: Wyoming

    * Demographics in a Changing Landscape: Applied Contextual Considerations for Recruitment, Engagement, and Evaluation of Underrepresented Populations in STEM and Biomedical Research Training Programs
    Stephanie Paris, Shanthia Espinosa, Amanda Braley, David Boone, Kate Ayers, Alberto Guzman-Alvarez, Lisa Marriott
    Interactivity Level = High
    Research & Evaluation; Broadening Participation
    Room: Grand Ballroom

    Short Talks: Science Teaching & Learning, and Interactive Multimedia Strands
    Interactivity Level = Low
    Room: Arizona

    EvolvingSTEM: A Three-Dimensional Evolution Curriculum that Uses Authentic Research to Improve Student Learning and Engagement
    Abigail Matela, Vaughn Cooper
    Science Teaching & Learning; Broadening Participation

    SCI PALS: A Structured Approach to Incorporating Socioscientific Reasoning in Pre-Collage STEM
    Don DeRosa, Carla Romney, Carl Franzblau, Stuart Beard
    Science Teaching & Learning; Curriculum Development

    Climate Change, Air Quality, and Human Health
    Amir Attia, Asa Bradman, Brenda Eskenazi, Eros Gonzalez-Lopez, Enid Ryce, Juliana Schuster, Corin Slown, Kenneth Tran
    Science Teaching & Learning; Curriculum Development

    wëlamàlsëwakàn “good health”: Creating Health Education Materials in Native American Languages
    Amy Lyons Ketchum
    Interactive Multimedia; Broadening Participation

    Translating Ideas into Instructional Materials
    Mark Hoelzer, Heather Ryan
    Interactive Multimedia

    Short Talks: Teacher Professional Development, and Program Administration Strands
    Interactivity Level = Low
    Room: Olympus

    Redefining Professional Development: A Teacher Perspective of the PHAGES SEPA Project
    Sarah Urban, Jean Placko
    Teacher Professional Development; Science Teaching & Learning

    Broadening Participation of SEPA Programs Through Expanded Partnerships and Mentoring Relationships
    Charlie Wray, Sarah Wojiski
    Broadening Participation; Teacher Professional Development

    Integrating Preservice Teachers into Instructional Time for HSTA-AL Students: A Valuable Learning Experience in STEM Education
    Paige Johnson, Robin Bartlett, Michele Montgomery, Leahrose Mami, Jerodine Guyton
    Teacher Professional Development; Project Administration

    Broadening Participation in STEM + Health for Rural Spanish-English Bilingual Communities
    Jafeth E. Sanchez, Ruben K. Dagda
    Broadening Participation; Project Administration

    Engineering a Regenerative Medicine & Biofabrication “Ecosystem” in New Hampshire
    Carmela Amato-Wierda, Eleanor M. Jaffee, Alison Allen, Amy Booth
    Science Teaching & Learning; Broadening Participation; Project Administration


Break 3:45 PM

  • Break

    May 30, 2024 3:45 pm

    Break 3:45-4:00 PM


Concurrent Breakout Sessions 5 4:00 PM
Concurrent Breakout Sessions 5

  • Concurrent Breakout Sessions 5
    Concurrent Breakout Sessions 5
    May 30, 2024 4:00 pm

    4:00-5:15 PM
    Partnering with Teachers of Middle School Science, Mathematics, English Language Arts and Special Education to Support Their Diverse Learners by Use of a STEM Multimodal Text Set Targeting NGSS Engineering Standards
    William Folk, Delinda Van Garderen
    Interactivity Level = High
    Curriculum Development; Broadening Participation; Research & Evaluation; Science Teaching & Learning; Teacher Professional Development
    Room: Arizona

    Citizen DNA Barcode Network: Applying Hands-on DNA Barcoding Techniques with Citizen Scientists in Informal Settings
    Jeffry Petracca, Chris Fernandez-Marco, David Micklos
    Interactivity Level = High
    Informal Science Education; Science Teaching & Learning
    Room: Idaho

    Crafting Robust Curriculum Assessments: Using Backwards Design to Develop Instruments that Enhance the Publishability of Research and Evaluation Findings
    Rebecca J. Peterson, Harini Krishnan, Molly Malone, Louisa A. Stark
    Interactivity Level = High
    Research & Evaluation; Curriculum Development
    Room: Teton

    * Optimizing Teacher Immersive Research Experience
    M. Eileen Dolan, Megan Mekinda, Anna Marsden, Liz Morales, Hari Nakshatri, Jasmine McDonald, Mary Beth Terry, Marian LaForest, and teacher panelists: Deb Smith, Mi Pohahau
    Interactivity Level = Moderate
    Research Experiences for Students & Teachers; Curriculum Development
    Room: Grand Ballroom

    Near-Peer Mentor Training Compilation: SciEd Community Collaboration
    Debra Yourick, Kathleen Umayam, Adaeze Egwuatu, Holly Brown, Emily Kuehn
    Interactivity Level = Moderate
    Science Teaching & Learning Strand
    Room: Olympus

    Short Talks: Teacher Professional Development Strand
    Interactivity Level = Low
    Room: Wyoming

    Observing Pill Bugs to Develop Phenomena-Based Professional Development for Preschool Teachers
    Tammy Lee, Virginia C. Stage
    Teacher Professional Development; Science Teaching & Learning

    PEAS Learning Community: How Does It Work in Early Education Classrooms?
    Archana V. Hegde, Virginia C. Stage, Jocelyn Dixon
    Teacher Professional Development; Research & Evaluation

    STEAM Teacher Professional Development in an Underserved Elementary School
    Michael Daugherty, Marcia Shobe, Yvette Murphy-Erby, Leah Cheek
    Teacher Professional Development; Curriculum Development

    From Recruitment to Retention: Building Relationships, Community & Models
    Karen Avery
    Teacher Professional Development


Friday, May 31st, 2024

Breakfast 6:30 AM

  • Breakfast

    May 31, 2024 6:30 am

    6:30-8:00 AM


Town Hall Discussion 7:00 AM
Tony Beck, PhD, Program Director, Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA), Division for Research Capacity Building, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), NIH

  • Town Hall Discussion
    Tony Beck, PhD, Program Director, Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA), Division for Research Capacity Building, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), NIH
    May 31, 2024 7:00 am

    7:00-7:45 AM
    Town Hall Discussion
    Tony Beck, PhD, Program Director, Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA), Division for Research Capacity Building, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), NIH


VENOMventure / aVENENOtura 8:15 AM
VENOMventure / aVENENOtura is a bilingual English/Spanish, educational, escape-style game designed to introduce players to basic concepts about evolutionary trees and relatedness in the context of a narrative-embedded immersive game. Developed and hosted by the SEPA-funded project: STEM Escape: Immersing Urban and Rural Families in a Biomedical Mystery, University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley • Teams of 2-5 players; takes 20-40 minutes for the full experience • Sign up via their online registration system at www.bookeo.com/venomventure

  • VENOMventure / aVENENOtura
    VENOMventure / aVENENOtura is a bilingual English/Spanish, educational, escape-style game designed to introduce players to basic concepts about evolutionary trees and relatedness in the context of a narrative-embedded immersive game. Developed and hosted by the SEPA-funded project: STEM Escape: Immersing Urban and Rural Families in a Biomedical Mystery, University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley • Teams of 2-5 players; takes 20-40 minutes for the full experience • Sign up via their online registration system at www.bookeo.com/venomventure
    May 31, 2024 8:15 am

    8:15-11:15 AM
    VENOMventure / aVENENOtura is a bilingual English/Spanish, educational, escape-style game designed to introduce players to basic concepts about evolutionary trees and relatedness in the context of a narrative-embedded immersive game.
    Developed and hosted by the SEPA-funded project: STEM Escape: Immersing Urban and Rural Families in a Biomedical Mystery, University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley
    • Teams of 2-5 players; takes 20-40 minutes for the full experience
    • Sign up via their online registration system at www.bookeo.com/venomventure


NIH SciEd Conference posters

Upload SciEd Confrence Poster

Teen Wellness Connection
University of California San Francisco

Project: Teen Wellness Connection
University of California San Francisco

The Teen Wellness Connection (TWC) annually supports 25 public high school students as they work together to plan and lead the Teen Wellness Summit on Mental Health. Working with local university researchers and health professionals as well as other community-based health organizations, TWC students learn about teen mental health in a 3 week-long summer intensive on the UCSF campus, then use their new knowledge and expertise during the next 5 months to inform the design of a daylong Summit for their peers.

Contacts: Nielsen, Katherine M – MA, MS

Adventures in Drug Discovery: Integrating Data Science into the Science Curriculum
Institute for Future Intelligence, Inc.

Project: Adventures in Drug Discovery: Integrating Data Science into the Science Curriculum
Institute for Future Intelligence, Inc.

In this project, the Institute for Future Intelligence (IFI) and the University of Florida (UF) will collaborate with diverse high schools in several states to develop innovative educational technologies and curriculum materials to help teachers and students teach and learn data science as a method for accelerating scientific inquiry and engineering design in the field of drug discovery.

Contacts: Xie, Charles – PhD

Mapping your success - Program Evaluation Design
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Project: Memphis STEM-M Ambassadors
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Program evaluation is critical to project success as it offers feedback for making iterative changes to improve impact and sustainability. This poster handout displays methods for Culturally Responsive Evaluation (CRE) and data visualization and metrics from the NIH SEPA, Memphis STEM-M Ecosystem Scientists Communicate Research to Students (MemSCoReS) Program, demonstrating the importance of a mixed-methods and culturally responsive evaluation approach.

Contacts: Ayers, Katherine

SciEd poster from the 2024 SciEd Conference
Mount Desert Island Biological Lab

Project: Promoting environmental health literacy through science communication and intergenerational learning in a K-12 safe drinking water citizen science project (Communicating Data)
Mount Desert Island Biological Lab

Our new NIH NINR-supported SEPA program engages teachers and students from Maine and New Hampshire in collecting drinking water samples for analysis of toxic metals. We provide science communication training and tools for students, empowering them to inform their communities of findings from their studies. The project also focuses on intergenerational learning to increase student self-efficacy in science and effect mitigation measures at the household and community levels. This project builds on our previous work, which focused on data literacy and engaging students as citizen scientists in addressing the issue of arsenic contamination of well water in rural communities. Our new school-based citizen science project incorporates feedback from teachers, expressing the importance of including students with homes dependent on community and municipal public water systems, their concern about other drinking water contaminants like uranium, lead, and PFAS “forever” chemicals, and the need to improve student outreach skills. This has led to increased interest in project participation across both states. Anticipated outcomes of our new SEPA program are increased environmental health literacy and student interest in STEM, reduction in exposure to toxins in drinking water, and improved public health.

Project SCORE - the Near Peer Mentor Experience
The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)

Project: Project SCORE (Student-Centered Outcomes Research Experience)
The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)

Project SCORE an informal after-school program that seeks to increase awareness of and interest in public health, science engagement and STEM careers, as well as increase matriculation into higher education STEM programs to enhance and diversify the future biomedical workforce. SCORE develops a student-centered research agenda and uses near-peer mentors to guide students in conducting research projects. The near peer mentor experience is explored in this poster.

Contacts: Barnard, Marie – PhD

STEAM in Action: Co-created environmental health science for Learning, Justice and Action
University of Arizona

Project: Building a culture of health in the green: Participatory learning and action to address air and soil quality in rural underserved communities
University of Arizona

The Integrated Environmental Science and Human Risk Laboratory at the University of Arizona is working alongside communities that neighbor resource extraction activities to create an educational model that addresses community-identified environmental justice and public health issues. Through the collaborative engagement of scientists and local community members, this project includes informal science learning activities, community and youth advisory boards, co-created community science, and youth/adult trainings.

A STEM Professional Development Program for Teachers within the Context of Asthma: Successes, Challenges, and Opportunities.
University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus

Project: University of Puerto Rico STEM Asthma Awareness Program
University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus

The UPR SEPA: Asthma Awareness Program offers a two-year professional development program for STEM secondary teachers from public and private schools in the north-east region of Puerto Rico. Thus far, two cohorts of teachers (n = 30) have benefited from SEPA’s professional development (PD) program. Invited schools can select two to three teachers to participate in the program. PD activities target the development of knowledge and competencies in asthma identification and management, STEM education, and research skills. We measured the program’s impact on teachers’ knowledge and practice through self-administered questionnaires that gather quantitative and qualitative information. Preliminary results suggest that SEPA’s PD program is statistically effective in increasing teachers' knowledge of health and asthma issues and robotics (p<0.05). Likewise, 91% of participants indicated acquiring new scientific knowledge. We have evidence of teachers’ classroom transfer as they develop asthma awareness activities with their students. However, consistent teacher attendance and the development and implementation of classroom projects has been challenging. As we prepare to recruit a new group of teachers, we are committed to enhancing their participation and dedication to the program. We will carefully consider teachers' feedback and suggestions, striving to create a more engaging and supportive environment for all participants.

Contacts: Quesada, Orestes – PhD Borrero, Michelle

Environmental Health Investigators: Developing STEM/Health appreciation & careers with a diverse group of middle school students
Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville

Project: Environmental Health Investigators: Building STEM Interest to Promote Careers in the Health Sciences
Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville

We designed and developed the Environmental Health Investigator (EHI) program to promote STEM and health appreciation and career awareness among a diverse group of middle school students. EHI shows how environmental monitoring sensors offer an opportunity for students to engage in environmental health monitoring activities and has the potential to broaden participation in STEM and health fields.

Contacts: Locke, Sharon M – PhD

Seeds to STEM
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University

Project: Seeds to STEM: Cultivating Early Nutrition, Literacy, Numeracy, and STEM Knowledge and Skills in Teachers, 3-to-5-Year-Olds, and Families through a Bilingual Asset-Based Curriculum in Two Major Cities
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University

Seeds to STEM is an innovative, research-based, bilingual program in both Philadelphia and Los Angeles that works with educators, families and children ages 3-5 to promote STEM skills, literacy and nutrition and to help prepare children for kindergarten.

Contacts: Genovesi, Jacqueline DelDuca, Kaitlyn R

Teaching the Genome Generation
The Jackson Laboratory

Project: Teaching the Genome Generation: Cultivating High School Genomics through Teacher Education
The Jackson Laboratory

Teaching the Genome Generation (TtGG) provides pre-service and current high school teachers with the content knowledge, teaching strategies, and resources needed to enhance student learning in genetics and genomics, with an emphasis on math skills and data literacy. Our approach weaves together three learning strands—molecular genetics, bioinformatics, and bioethics—within the context of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Contacts: Wojiski, Sarah – PhD Wray, Charles – PhD

Learning and Discovery in Experimental Environmental Health Science: On the Path from Data to Knowledge
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee

Project: Learning and Discovery in Experimental Environmental Health Science: On the Path from Data to Knowledge
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee

The UW-Milwaukee SEPA program offers diverse middle and high school students opportunities to conduct a full range of scientific activities from research to scientific communication in relation to environmental chemical safety. We deliver the program in collaboration with in-service and early career teachers graduating from our pre-service teacher program, and experienced mentor teachers. The novel theme running through our program is data, through the lens of introductory data science and a fully developed “big” data portal.

Contacts: Petering, David H – PhD Berg, Craig A. – PhD

Authentic Literacy and Language (ALL) for Science
Baylor College of Medicine

Project: Authentic Literacy and Language (ALL) for Science
Baylor College of Medicine

The ALL for Science project expands an instructional framework developed by the K-3 Stem Foundations: Life Science project. With the ALL for Science framework, students engage in two related forms of inquiry: 1) firsthand scientific inquiry based on a model organism or system following a learning cycle approach and 2) related text-based inquiry using existing real-world informational resources (reviewed for appropriateness prior to use).

Contacts: Moreno, Nancy P. – PhD Newell, Alana D – PhD

NeuroLab 2.0 (Adapting an authentic ISE experience for high school course integration and positive STEM outcomes)
Coastal Marine Biolabs

Project: NeuroLab: Adapting an authentic ISE experience for high school course integration and positive STEM outcomes
Coastal Marine Biolabs

NeuroLab is a multi-lesson, storyline-based instructional unit that is organized around a heritable movement disorder (congenital mirror movement disorder) with behavioral, neuroanatomical, developmental, cellular, and molecular developmental components. During this integrative classroom experience, students build – in stepwise fashion – an explanatory model of the movement disorder as they pursue their questions in a collaborative learning environment. To develop their models, students analyze, interpret, discuss, and connect real data obtained from human subjects and model organisms over the last several decades.The discoveries made by students through the analysis and interpretation of scientific data are gradually assimilated into working models that form a major focus of classroom discourse. Models undergo periodic revision and gradually increase in explanatory and predictive power as students progress through the NeuroLab sense-making trajectory (select examples of student work will be available for review during roundtable discussion).

Contacts: Imondi, Ralph – PhD

See Us-Be Us: Inspiring Future Veterinarians Using a Veterinary STEM Ecosystem
Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine

Project: See Us-Be Us: Inspiring future veterinarians using a Veterinary STEM Ecosystem
Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine

The League of VetaHumanz is an alliance of veterinary superheroes in academia, practice, research, government, and industry who are committed to engaging with under-resourced communities across the globe to provide access and support for youth who aspire to careers in the veterinary profession.

Contacts: San Miguel, Sandra F – DVM, PhD

University of Kentucky’s STEM Through Authentic Research & Training (START) Program
University of Kentucky

Project: STEM Through Authentic Research Training (START) Program for Underrepresented Communities
University of Kentucky

The STEM Through Authentic Research and Training (START) Program is an integrated partnership bringing together academic, social, and real-world professional experiences to establish a STEM pipeline for first generation and traditionally underrepresented students into college by providing year-round authentic research opportunities and professional development for students and teachers. The disruption of in-person education, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forced our programming to virtual content, which resulted in the program expanding and reaching more students in the community than imagined. As the possibility of in-person activities resumed, the program adopted a hybrid approach to provide content with our local school partners and beyond. This past year, nearly 800 students (START Ambassadors) were engaged with near-peer virtual and in-person demonstrations from University of Kentucky students on neuroanatomy, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease, COVID-19 and immunology, nutrition, and other STEM topics. In addition, the START Program partnered with Higher Orbits to provide at home learning kits and an in-person ‘Go for Launch’ event, for students to learn and develop teamwork and science communication. START Apprentices continued with mentored, in-person authentic learning experiences in neuroscience, while START Teachers participated in STEM professional development. Near-peer mentors completed a College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA)-certified online mentor training program to provide START Apprentices insight into the college experience, academic strategies, soft skills, and available pathways, while modeling academic resilience and success. Collectively, our findings support that a sense of belonging in neuroscience and STEM is increased for high school students from underrepresented backgrounds through engagement, providing opportunity and minimizing barriers to authentic learning experiences, and trained near-peer mentoring to build a coaching-based partnership.

Contacts: Bradley, Luke H – PhD

UMB RAMP: UMB Research And Mentoring Program to develop skills and promote interest in STEM fields through hands-on exposure to academic research among West Baltimore Youth
University of Maryland, Baltimore

Overview of the MDI Biological Lab SEPA program
Mount Desert Island Biological Lab

Project: Data to Action: A Secondary School-based Citizen Science Project to Address Arsenic Contamination of Well Water
Mount Desert Island Biological Lab

Our new NIH NINR-supported SEPA program engages teachers and students from Maine and New Hampshire in collecting drinking water samples for analysis of toxic metals. We provide science communication training and tools for students, empowering them to inform their communities of findings from their studies. The project also focuses on intergenerational learning to increase student self-efficacy in science and effect mitigation measures at the household and community level. This project builds on our previous work, which focused on data literacy and engaging students as citizen scientists in addressing the issue of arsenic contamination of well water in rural communities. Our new school-based citizen science project incorporates feedback from teachers, expressing the importance of including students with homes dependent on community and municipal public water systems, their concern about other drinking water contaminants like uranium, lead, and PFAS “forever” chemicals, and the need to improve student outreach skills. This has led to increased interest in project participation across both states. Anticipated outcomes of our new SEPA program are increased environmental health literacy and student interest in STEM, reduction in exposure to toxins in drinking water, and improved public health.

Learning and Discovery in Experimental Environmental Health Science: On the Path from Data to Knowledge
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee

Project: Empowering Pre-service Teachers and Students with Environmental Health Research
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee

The UW-Milwaukee SEPA program offers diverse middle and high school students opportunities to conduct a full range of scientific activities from research to scientific communication in relation to environmental chemical safety. We deliver the program in collaboration with in-service and early career teachers graduating from our pre-service teacher program, and experienced mentor teachers. The novel theme running through our program is data, through the lens of introductory data science and a fully developed “big” data portal.

Contacts: Petering, David H – PhD Berg, Craig A. – PhD

Creating Resources Uplifting Nutrition, Culture and Health at Lunch (CRUNCH Lunch)
Columbia University Teachers College