A Conference on Informal STEM Learning in Rural Settings

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。一个经常被忽视但代表性明显不足的STEM受众是生活在农村地区的人。拟议中的会议首次将农村非正规STEM教育领域的主要创新者和专家聚集在一起，讨论以下问题：我们如何利用最近的创新成果，为农村社区的非正规STEM学习创造更有效和可扩展的途径？会议将主要关注推进农村青年的非正式STEM教育，但也将包括一些跨越边界的参与者，从生态系统的角度来看待工作：非正式-正规教育、儿童-成人教育、农村生态系统和STEM相关工作的经济驱动因素。临时主题清单将通过会前对与会者的调查来完善，随后将提交一份报告，其中包括调查答复、会议讨论和与会者的最终建议。会议将在华盛顿举行，以便政策制定者能够参加。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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. A frequently overlooked but significantly under-represented STEM audience is people who live in rural settings. The proposed conference is the first of its kind to bring together key innovators and experts in rural Informal STEM education, to address this question: How can we build on recent innovations to create more effective and scalable pathways for informal STEM learning in rural communities?The conference will focus primarily on advancing informal STEM education for rural youth, but will also include some participants who cross boundaries, to situate the work in an ecosystem perspective: informal-formal education, childhood-adult education, rural ecosystems and economic drivers for STEM related jobs. The provisional list of topics will be refined through a pre-conference survey of participants, and will be followed with a report that includes survey responses, conference discussion, and final recommendations by participants. The conference will be held in Washington D.C. to enable policymakers to attend.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.