After just one year on campus, the University of New Hampshire STEM Discovery Lab is heading to a new location, adding new staff and continuing to provide opportunities for students and educators interested in science, technology, engineering and math.
Formerly located on the second floor of 88 Commercial Street, the STEM Discovery Lab is moving to a new space on the third floor of the building, now under renovation. The three-classroom lab will serve as a home base for classes and programs, where students in grades K-12 can come to learn and work on projects. It’s also a place where their teachers, aspiring teachers, and other school staff can receive professional development in STEM curriculum and effective teaching practices.
“We hope it can be the center for K-12 STEM education in New Hampshire,” said Lauren Provost, research assistant professor at the STEM Discovery Lab. “Our plan is for it to become a national model for how to integrate afterschool academic enrichment with research-based curriculum and professional development opportunities.”
Provost has been working for the Lab since its launch in 2013 with UNH Manchester Associate Professor of Computer Science Mihaela Sabin, who splits her time between directing the Lab and teaching in the Computing Technology program. Also on the STEM Discovery lab team is Sarah Grosvenor, field specialist at UNH Cooperative Extension, who as the STEM Discovery Lab’s new Education Preparation Coordinator, will be directly involved in developing curriculum and preparing instructors for the Lab’s afterschool programs. This year, Melissa Gould was also brought on to serve as the Lab’s operations coordinator, charged with overseeing day-to-day operations and program coordination.
Despite the renovations now underway, the STEM Discovery Lab is still conducting a full schedule of youth and professional development programming. It recently completed its summer program, the Ecosystem Computing Challenge (ECC) Summer Camp. The camp introduced high-school students to computer science through the creation of their own mobile apps. High school teachers were also invited to participate in an eight-day professional development institute, jointly held with the ECC summer camp. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the program’s inquiry-based and equitable teaching practices help teachers learn how to engage students so that they feel less intimidated by technology and more interested in creating technological innovations.
“The vision of the STEM Discovery Lab is to connect New Hampshire teachers and learners in school districts around the state in a concerted effort to advance STEM education for all,” said Sabin. “On one hand, we are providing professional development to prepare and retain outstanding K-12 STEM teachers. On the other hand, we are engaging learners to overcome barriers along their K-12 educational pathways through college. The teacher-learner interplay is key to the Lab’s mission.”
David Ryan, assistant superintendent of the Manchester School District, said the Lab is a great complement to regular curriculum, especially for students who come to Manchester with little to no access to computers, science classes, or technology education. Putting STEM teaching tools in the hands of Manchester teachers is a valuable and lasting opportunity.
“The professional learning available to them and the engaging activities in which they will participate on behalf of students has such high value for the school district,” Ryan said.
The ECC students, like most in STEM Discovery Lab programs, come from a diverse range of backgrounds. Reaching students who are underrepresented in STEM fields is a goal of the Lab and its programs. Whether the barriers are lack of confidence and interest, financial disadvantage, or unconscious bias against who is successful in computing fields and careers, Sabin wants to see these barriers broken down.
“If you go to computer science classes, you will see the majority of students are white or Asian boys, but when you think of computing products and services, whether it’s Facebook or Etsy, many of the customers of those products and services are women,” said Sabin. “Developers of those products and services are deeply concerned they are not representing the customers and they are missing out on very important views in developing those products and services.”
Increasing participation of students traditionally underrepresented in STEM also means paving the way to increase access to rewarding and good-paying jobs, she said.
“It’s a social justice issue. Everyone should have access to such jobs,” Sabin said. “Equally important, we cannot meet the demand for these jobs if we don’t have our STEM classes look more like America in terms of representation of diverse groups.”
Set to open in the spring of 2015, the new STEM Discovery Lab is hardly the only place where the Lab’s programs will be held, said Provost. Part of the Lab’s mission is to take STEM skills out into the community and to encourage students in each program to do the same. These academically rigorous programs are already being conducted in schools across Manchester, with staff working directly with teachers to incorporate advanced math and science skills into the curriculum.
The STEM Ambassador’s Program is a year-long program aimed at building STEM skills in academically at-risk English language learners in grade 10. By increasing their knowledge and interest in math, science and technology, the program hopes to create a career path for these students and ultimately increase diversity in the STEM fields.
Math and science teachers are directly involved, overseeing student projects and applying a math-heavy curriculum in addition to the students’ regular classes. Students receive a computer and a year subscription to Comcast Internet service, since projects must be worked on at home. The computers also increase technology literacy for families who might not otherwise have access to a computer.
“It is part of closing the digital divide,” Provost said.
STEM Ambassadors are expected to do what is called “service learning,” in their community, which includes offering tech support to small businesses, churches and other families, as well as passing on information about programs that offer low-cost Internet.
Manchester students also have a unique opportunity to work in collaboration with NASA scientists through the STEM Lab. The Granite United Way and its B.R.I.N.G. I.T.!!! afterschool program offer students in grades 4-12 a chance to work with research data being relayed from the International Space Station. Students then send their own data back and NASA reviews and relays the data back to the station.
Students ages 12-18 interested in remote operated vehicles and robotics can also participate in the STEM Discovery Lab’s SeaPerch Challenge program, developed in collaboration with the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and 4-H. Building their problem solving and innovations skills, as well as their math and engineering skills, students must construct a functioning remotely operated underwater vessel that meets the challenge requirements.
Provost said that hosting the STEM Discovery Lab is a benefit not just for the Manchester community, but for UNH Manchester students as well. Students have access to many opportunities to become involved with Lab programs, especially those interested in teaching.
“In every project we do, there is opportunity for students to get involved,” said Provost.
