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1. Toward Wearable App Design for Children's In-the-World Science Inquiry

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3024969.3025008  

   Chu, Sharon Lynn; Garcia, Brittany M. (January 2017, International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction)

   Little is understood on how to design wearables for education, especially for children. We explore how smartwatches may allow children to see the world through the lens of science. In our study, 20 children are tasked to record stories related to specific scientific concepts in their daily life and drawing from their embodied experiences using a commodity smartwatch. Our findings describe the types of ‘science stories’ that the children capture through the smartwatch, and how the stories relate to science. From our findings, we elicit seven areas of future research needed to catalyze the design of wearable apps to support informal science learning for children. 

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2. Exploring How Teachers' Scientific Questions Differ by Child Gender in a Preschool Classroom

   https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12400  

   Kumar, Sona C; Haber, Amanda S; Corriveau, Kathleen H (February 2024, Mind, Brain, and Education)

   Abstract The current study explores differences in messages that preschool teachers send girls and boys about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Video footage of a preschool classroom (16 hr;N = 6 teachers; 20 children) was transcribed. Teachers' questions were coded for question‐type and whether the question was directed to a boy or a girl. Teachers directed significantly more scientific questions to boys than to girls. However, boys spent more time than girls in the science areas of the classroom and teachers directed questions to boys and girls at similar rates. These findings highlight how as early as the preschool years, girls and boys may receive different messages about how to approach science. 

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3. Accessible physics for all: Providing equity of access for high school physics with extended experimentation and data analysis

   Haavind, S.; Murtha, M. (July 2020, Science teacher)

   InquirySpace, a National Science Foundation funded project at the Concord Consortium brings independent experimentation and data analysis using sensors and free software into high school science classrooms. The project is in one classroom that practices full inclusion for ninth grade physics. Last year, nearly half of the students (9 of 20) were on IEPs for a variety of learning disabilities, including dyslexia, autism, and other health-related impairments. Two additional students also faced learning challenges but were not on individualized plans. The reading level of these students ranged from second grade to seventh grade. Effective accommodations are shared. 

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4. “In my blood”: External factors for international stem postdoctoral scholars’ career decisions

   https://doi.org/10.5038/2577-509X.8.2.1330  

   Watson, Kathryn J; Mendez, Sylvia (July 2024, Journal of Global Education and Research)

   This instrumental case study (Stake, 1995) explores the external factors that influence international science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) postdoctoral scholars in the United States to pursue a career in STEM. Interviews with 20 international STEM postdoctoral scholars were analyzed deductively to shed light on their unique backgrounds and experiences. Three themes emerged: (a) parents were highly encouraging, (b) a love of science was nurtured in school, and (c) they were eager to engage in and promote scientific innovation. These findings illustrate the ways in which family, schools, and community influence the STEM career trajectories of international postdoctoral scholars 

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5. Science with the Murchison Widefield Array: Phase I results and Phase II opportunities

   https://doi.org/10.1017/pasa.2019.41  

   Beardsley, A. P.; Johnston-Hollitt, M.; Trott, C. M.; Pober, J. C.; Morgan, J.; Oberoi, D.; Kaplan, D. L.; Lynch, C. R.; Anderson, G. E.; McCauley, P. I.; et al (January 2019, Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia)

   Abstract The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is an open access telescope dedicated to studying the low-frequency (80–300 MHz) southern sky. Since beginning operations in mid-2013, the MWA has opened a new observational window in the southern hemisphere enabling many science areas. The driving science objectives of the original design were to observe 21 cm radiation from the Epoch of Reionisation (EoR), explore the radio time domain, perform Galactic and extragalactic surveys, and monitor solar, heliospheric, and ionospheric phenomena. All together $60+$ programs recorded 20 000 h producing 146 papers to date. In 2016, the telescope underwent a major upgrade resulting in alternating compact and extended configurations. Other upgrades, including digital back-ends and a rapid-response triggering system, have been developed since the original array was commissioned. In this paper, we review the major results from the prior operation of the MWA and then discuss the new science paths enabled by the improved capabilities. We group these science opportunities by the four original science themes but also include ideas for directions outside these categories. 

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