ISE Full-Scale Development: Herpetology Education in Rural Places and Spaces (HERPS)

在农村地方空间（HERPS）项目的爬虫学教育是一个为期四年的全面发展项目，旨在吸引不同的北卡罗来纳州居民从中央皮埃蒙特，东部皮埃蒙特，和内沿海平原地区的国家在保护和实地经验集中在爬虫学，爬行动物和两栖动物的研究。该项目针对STEM中代表性不足的农村群体;主要是非洲裔美国人，西班牙裔美国人和Lumbee印第安人。北卡罗来纳大学格林斯伯勒分校及其合作伙伴组织，埃隆大学和北卡罗来纳大学彭布罗克分校将合作开发和实施该项目的所有阶段。最终，该项目旨在增加对爬虫学和相关保护问题的知识和兴趣，提供真实的研究经验，并更好地了解与身份相关的动机和跨项目链的休闲，定期和热情参与者的启示。HERPS建立在四项试点研究的基础上，将使所有年龄段的人参与广泛的爬虫活动，包括：（a）以爬虫学为重点的年度社区活动（HERPS庆祝活动），（B）技术资源，如项目网站和定制的移动的应用程序（HERPS Cyberhub），（c）高中学生和教师的夏季和全年爬虫学研究经验，和（d）深入纵向爬虫学研究机会（例如，箱龟研究）。此外，还有一个单独但综合的研究站，将重点放在身份和HERPS经验，作为非正式科学学习的设置。身份研究将研究：（a）身份相关的动机和（B）身份相关的启示的休闲，定期和热情的参与者跨线程。此外，将由一名外部评价员采用混合方法进行广泛的形成性和总结性评价。该项目采用多切入点学习和参与办法，可作为其他环境中类似努力的可复制模式。此外，身份研究链的结果可以填补身份和非正式科学教育研究基地的一个关键空白。平均估计有近15，000人参加，他们来自各个年龄段和不同背景，该项目可能产生广泛的影响。

The Herpetology Education in Rural Places & Spaces (HERPS) project is a four-year full-scale development project designed to engage diverse North Carolina residents from the Central Piedmont, Eastern Piedmont, and Inner Coastal Plain regions of the state in conservation and field experiences focused on herpetology, the study of reptiles and amphibians. The project targets rural underrepresented groups in STEM; predominately African-Americans, Hispanics, and Lumbee Native Americans. The University of North Carolina-Greensboro and its partner organizations, Elon University and University of North Carolina-Pembroke, will partner to develop and implement all phases of the project. Ultimately, the project aims to increase knowledge of and interest in herpetology and related conservation issues, provide authentic research experiences, and better understand identity-related motivations and affordances of the casual, regular, and enthusiastic participant across project strands. HERPS builds on four pilot studies and will engage people of all ages in a broad range of herpetological activities including: (a) an annual herpetology-focused community event (HERPS Celebrations), (b) technology resources such as a project website and customized mobile applications (HERPS Cyberhub), (c) summer and year-long herpetological research experiences (HREs) for high school students and teachers, and (d) in-depth longitudinal herpetological study opportunities (e.g., box turtle study). In addition, there is separate but integrated research stand that will focus on identity and HERPS experiences, as settings for informal science learning. The identity research will study: (a) identity-related motivations and (b) identity-related affordances of casual, regular and enthusiastic participants across threads. In addition, an extensive formative and summative evaluation will be conducted using a mixed methods approach by an external evaluator. Using a multiple-entry-points approach for learning and engagement, this project could serve as a replicable model for similar efforts in other settings. In addition, the results of the identity reseach strand could fill a critical gap in the identity and informal science education research bases. With an average estimated reach of nearly 15,000 people of all ages and diverse backgrounds, the potential broader impacts of this project could be extensive.