Teen Science Cafes: Technology in Response to Floods Caused by Hurrican Harvey

作为加强非正式环境中学习的总体战略的一部分，推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）项目资助了用于各种环境的创新研究、方法和资源。技术在应急管理和公共安全方面的应用正在迅速涌现，但学校的STEM课程可能需要数年时间才能赶上已经在该领域部署的技术。非正式的学习环境，如青少年科学咖啡厅，为青少年学习技术等快速发展的STEM领域提供了一个令人信服的场所。哈维飓风造成的洪水和破坏为他们提供了一个及时的学习机会。除了开发学习技术的新材料外，该项目还将为青少年对技术、技术职业和应急准备的理解提供急需的基线研究。利用美国国家科学基金会资助的青少年科学咖啡馆的强大平台，缅因州数学和科学联盟将在其与科学教育解决方案的现有合作伙伴关系的基础上，为青少年科学咖啡馆开发和实施一揽子教育活动、工具和资源，该咖啡馆以哈维飓风为模型和案例研究，重点关注社区洪水事件和响应。这些材料将重点介绍传感器技术、数据可视化、社交媒体和其他用于检测、监测和应对洪水和自然灾害的移动通信应用程序的进展。该材料包将被缅因州的20个站点所采用。其目标是吸引至少600名年轻人参加主题研讨会，重点关注技术如何用于应对哈维，以及如何更广泛地用于管理和应对洪水。一个重要的相关目标是开展基线研究，了解青少年目前对洪水相关技术的了解情况，以及他们从最近发生在德克萨斯州、佛罗里达州和加勒比岛屿的洪水中获得的经验。

As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program funds innovative research, approaches and resources for use in a variety of settings. The uses of technologies in emergency management and public safety are emerging rapidly, but it could take years for school STEM curricula to catch up with the technologies that are already being deployed in the field. Informal learning environments, such as Teen Science Cafés, provide a compelling venue for youth learning about rapidly-developing STEM fields such as technology. The floods and devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey provide a timely learning opportunity for them. This project, in addition to developing new materials for learning about technologies, will provide much-needed baseline research on teens' understanding of technology, technology careers, and emergency preparedness.Leveraging the robust platform of the NSF-funded Teen Science Café, the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance will build upon its existing partnership with Science Education Solutions to develop and implement a package of educational activities, tools, and resources for a Teen Science Café that is focused on community flood events and response, using Hurricane Harvey as a model and case study. The materials will focus on advances in sensor technology, data visualization, social media, and other mobile communication apps used to detect, monitor and respond to flooding and natural disasters. The package of materials will be embraced by 20 sites in Maine. The goal is to engage at least 600 youth in themed Cafés focusing on how technology was used to respond to Harvey and is being used to manage and respond to flooding more generally. An important related goal is to conduct baseline research on what teens currently know about the flood-related technologies, as well as what they learn about it from this experience derived from recent floods in Texas, Florida, and the Caribbean islands.