Science Club: Building A Science Community Partnership with the Boys & Girls Club

描述(由申请者提供)：本申请的目标是设计、实施和评估一项针对五至七年级中学生的基于探究的课外科学指导计划，该计划与芝加哥罗伯特·R·麦考密克男孩和女孩俱乐部合作开发并位于该俱乐部。我们的长期目标是通过设计和支持教育项目，让年轻人参与到生物医学科学的挑战、希望和奇迹中来，解决青年脱离、少数群体代表性不足和科学素养低下的问题。需要培育和发展美国科学和医疗保健事业的多样性和质量，并向所有美国青年提供他们成为21世纪民主国家知情成员所需的科学和基于证据的分析技能，这突显了开发新的、有效的生物医学参与方法的重要性。此外，申请人还提出了通过衡量具体结果，如科学成就、态度、职业方向和抱负，确定影响课后科学计划有效性的因素的重要需要。此外，我们将深入了解导致科学家从事科学外展活动的个人和职业动机，以及在培训的早期阶段参与外展是否会影响科学家的长期态度和参与外展活动。具体地说，我们的目标是：1)利用正在接受培训的科学家导师，开发以社区为中心的青年生物医学参与模式；2)选择、定制和实施一套六个主题的、基于探究的生物医学活动，利用NIH和NSF资助的现有项目，并得到实地考察、科学博览会和科学写作机会的支持；3)在芝加哥男孩和女孩俱乐部、西北大学、约翰·T·麦卡钦小学(P/K-8)和其他学术合作伙伴之间建立计划和智力联系；以及4)评估、传播和扩展基于社区的外联模式。除了满足青少年和成人生物医学科学参与的迫切需求外，我们期望我们以社区和导师为基础的方法将成为未来涉及中学生、他们的家庭和学术-社区合作伙伴关系的科学参与计划的典范。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this application is to design, implement and evaluate an inquiry-based after school science mentorship program for middle school youth, grades five to seven, developed in partnership with and located at the Robert R. McCormick Boys and Girls Club of Chicago. Our long-range goal is to address issues of youth disengagement, minority under-representation, and poor scientific literacy by designing and supporting educational programs that engage youth in the challenge, promise, and wonder of biomedical science. The importance of developing new, effective approaches for biomedical science engagement is underscored by the need to nurture and grow the diversity and quality of America's scientific and health-care enterprise, and to provide all American youth with the scientific and evidence-based analysis skills they require to be informed members of a 21st century democracy. In addition, the applicant addresses the important need to identify the factors that underlie effective after school science programs by measuring specific outcomes like science achievement, attitudes, and career directions and aspirations. In addition, we will provide insight into the personal and professional motivations that lead scientists to engage in science outreach activities- and whether or not participating in outreach during the early stages of training can influence scientists' longer-term attitudes and engagement in outreach. Specifically, we aim to: 1) Develop a mentorship-based model for community-centered youth biomedical science engagement using mentors who are scientists in training, 2) Select, tailor, and implement a set of six themed, inquiry-based biomedical science activities leveraging existing NIH- and NSF-funded projects and supported by field trips, science fairs, and scientific writing Opportunities, 3) Develop programmatic and intellectual linkages between the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago, Northwestern University, John T. McCutcheon Elementary School (P/K-8), and other academic partners, and 4) Evaluate, disseminate, and expand the model of community-based outreach. In addition to addressing the acute need for youth- and adult-based biomedical science engagement, it is our expectation that our community- and mentor-based approach will serve as a model for future science engagement programs involving middle school youth, their families, and academic-community partnerships.