213 The Utah CTSI SLCSE-BEES Program: Boosting engagement through experiences in science

Abstract

Objectives/Goals: The University of Utah (U of U) CTSI has partnered with the Salt Lake Center for Science Education (SLCSE), a Title I school serving grades 7–12. Goals of this partnership are to 1) bridge the gap between K12 classroom learning and real-world applications and 2) better prepare students from underrepresented populations to enter the STEM workforce. Methods/Study Population: To cultivate science self-efficacy in grade 7–12 students, experiences included interviewing a scientist for 7th graders, model organism lab visits for 11th graders, and summer research internships for rising seniors. Additional engagements on the SLCSE campus included U of U guest speakers, U of U faculty and student participation in afterschool STEM clubs, U of U graduate students’ mentorship of high school science fair projects, and U of U faculty support in establishing a zebrafish lab for biology students. All students were surveyed at the start and end of the academic year using DEVISE evaluation tools developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Students participating in the summer internship program also completed the mentoring competency assessment before and after their ten-week internship experience. Results/Anticipated Results: During the first year of a seven-year longitudinal study, 380 SLCSE students engaged in at least one science experience through the Utah CTSI-SLCSE partnership named BEES (Boosting Engagement through Experiences in Science). Pearson product-moment correlations were used in preliminary studies to examine relationships between experience type and student motivation and interest in STEM. Field trips to U of U STEM labs and of U graduate students’ mentorship of high school science fair projects were significantly correlated with student motivation and interest, while the interview-a-scientist experience was significantly correlated with motivation only. The Utah CTSI-SLCSE BEES Program’s impact on student STEM success continues to be assessed using surveys and student reflections. Discussion/Significance of Impact: Access to science for underserved K-12 students is a critical issue in addressing educational equity and improving pathways into STEM fields. Many students attending SLCSE are low-income minority students with limited access to role models in STEM. The BEES partnership provides impactful opportunities for students to gain access to STEM.