Refugee students' journeys into cosmic ray research and the impacts on their STEM identities.
ORAL · Invited
Abstract
Refugee youth resettled in the United States experience two main barriers to long-term participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields: (a) access to STEM skills and knowledge which is impacted by relocation and interrupted schooling, and (b) access to crafting positive learner identities in STEM as multilingual, multicultural, and multiracial youth. In this talk, we shared a model for engaging refugee teens in Cosmic Ray research through (1) constructing scintillator cosmic ray detectors then learning how to collect and analyze data using those detectors; (2) creating digital stories (short video documentaries) to document their experience in the cosmic ray research; and (3) family and community science events where students share what they are learning with their families, and eventually, science teachers, researchers, and broader members of the scientific community. The goal with the student detectors is being able to deploy them and to do actual research into cosmic rays using data collected by their detectors. These detectors were deployed on the roof of the State of Utah refugee building, and connected to the data acquisition system at the University of Utah. The project also and creating seven film projects, and a documentary/video. This video was created by students in the program who worked on the cosmic ray project. Students learned about documentary and filmed the project over the course of the grant.
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Publication: (1) Nyawelo, T., Braden, S., Matthews, J., Gerton, J., Bamidele, B., *Garcia, M., Goldrup, R., Gonzalez, R. & Kiflom, J. (2023). Investigating the Development of STEM-Positive Identities of Refugee Teens in a Physics Out-of-School-Time Experience. Phys. Sci. Forum 2023, 8(1), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/psf2023008045.<br> <br>(2) Braden, S., Marx, S., Dotterer, A., *Bamidele, B., *Suganda, L., ***Goldrup, R., Nyawelo, T., Gonzalez, R., Gerton, J., Matthews, J. (2023). Examining Teenagers' Spontaneous Play in a STEM-Based Out-of-School Time Experience for Refugee-Background Youth. Conference Proceedings of the International Conference of the Learning Sciences.<br><br>(3) Braden, S. & Dexter, T. (2023). Translanguaging as an essential practice in socially just science classrooms: How to make all language styles appropriate for science learning. The Science Teacher, 90(7), 28-31.<br><br>(3) Braden, S., Marx, S., Dotterer, A., *Bamidele, B., Suganda, L., Nyawelo, T. & Gerton, J. (under review). Exploring the Emergence of Thirdspace in an After-school STEM program for Refugee-Background Youth During the Pandemic. Teacher's College Record.
