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整体战略的一部分，推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划资助创新研究，方法和资源，用于各种环境。技术在应急管理和公共安全中的应用正在迅速兴起，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，如青少年科学咖啡馆，为青年学习快速发展的STEM领域，如技术提供了一个引人注目的场所。哈维飓风造成的洪水和破坏为他们提供了及时的学习机会。这个项目，除了开发新的材料学习技术，将提供急需的基线研究青少年的理解技术，技术职业，和应急准备。利用强大的平台，美国国家科学基金会资助的青少年科学咖啡馆，缅因州数学和科学联盟将建立在其现有的合作伙伴关系与科学教育解决方案，开发和实施一揽子教育活动，工具和资源，为青少年科学咖啡馆，重点是社区洪水事件和响应，使用哈维飓风作为模型和案例研究。这些材料将侧重于传感器技术、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的通信应用程序的进展。这套材料将被缅因州的20个地点所接受。目标是让至少600名青年参与主题咖啡馆，重点关注技术如何用于应对哈维，以及如何用于更广泛地管理和应对洪水。一个重要的相关目标是进行基线研究，了解青少年目前对洪水相关技术的了解，以及他们从德克萨斯州、佛罗里达和加勒比群岛最近的洪水中学到了什么。

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.