AERA spotlighted innovative research that aims to improve student STEM outcomes and encourage interest in STEM among middle school students at the 22nd Annual Coalition for National Science Funding (NSF) Hill Exhibition on April 26. The yearly event is a major showcase of research and education projects supported by NSF.
More than 300 people attended the exhibition titled “Investments in STEM Research and Education: Fueling American Innovation,” including two members of Congress. NSF leadership was also on hand, as France Córdova, director of NSF, and Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Assistant Director of Education and Human Resources, among others, learned about the diversity of projects that the agency funds.
AERA member Sasha Barab, Pinnacle West Chair in Teacher Education and Professor, Future of Innovation in Society, at Arizona State University, presented two innovative projects at the Center for Games & Impact: Boone’s Meadow and STEM Mio.
Both of these projects have received funding support from the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Education and Human Resources. Boone’s Meadow is a game created to engage middle school students in learning mathematical concepts. STEM Mio is a partnership with Spanish Public Television and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities that aims to encourage STEM interest among Hispanic students in middle school.