Search for: All records

The Billion Oyster Project and Curriculum and Community Enterprise for the Restoration of New York Harbor with New York City Public Schools (BOP-CCERS) program is a National Science Foundation (NSF) supported initiative that involves multiple stakeholder collaborations and is led by Pace University. Within Pace, the initiative crosses over three different schools and colleges and across multiple departments. Pace University’s NSF project of focus in this article is the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program. The purpose is to increase student motivation and preparation for pursuing STEM careers. This article presents results of programming to increase student scientific identity. Findings revealed that students in the 11th grade had the highest level of scientific identity compared to other high school grades. These findings indicate that 11th grade may be an ideal timeframe for interventions to improve scientific identity. Moreover, project participants had higher levels of engagement in STEM-related activities, were more likely to watch videos made by scientists, and read articles written by scientists than those in the control group. 

Abstract A major blight of urban development has been the existence of environmental inequities which affect how and where low-income communities and communities of color live. Targeted communities are beginning to receive long-overdue analysis and civic action. New laws and amendments have been made to better the conditions of these historically underserved communities. Currently, in New York City, historic progress is being made by providing all residents of these affected communities with the tools to advocate for the best outcomes for their neighborhoods. It is the first time in the city’s history that the issue of environmental justice has reached such a milestone. Civic participatory action of this magnitude requires the development of alliances between all members of the community. Students from these marginalized neighborhoods can make a vital contribution in eliminating environmental racism and restoring their communities’ environmental urban footprint. To this end, the Curriculum and Community Enterprise for Restoration Science (STEM + C) Project has been working to provide long-term, hands-on, environmental restoration education and action research to the students in New York City. Restoration of the Eastern oyster in New York Harbor waterways surrounding many of these communities exposes the youth of the city to the community inequities. One of the objectives of the CCERS STEM + C Project is to study its effect on student awareness, motivation and engagement in community-based environmental restoration. Over 500 New York City school students were surveyed on self-reported factors including awareness, motivation and community engagement. Those students in the CCERS STEM + C Program had a significantly higher level of awareness and motivation in terms of community-engagement and social action.