PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in the field of environmental health sciences, despite good
job prospects and the need for diverse perspectives to ensure the well-being of all communities. Learning
science in out-of-school (informal) settings is a promising approach to generate interest in science because
students are able to work on community-based projects over an extended period, immersing themselves in the
process of science while learning success skills for the workplace such as teamwork, problem-solving, and
critical thinking. However, there are limited opportunities to learn about environmental health sciences and
related careers, particularly for minority youth who live in areas of concentrated poverty. The long-term goal of
this project is to understand how to best generate and sustain an interest in health sciences that ultimately
alters students' education and career pathways. The central hypothesis is that middle school students will
develop and sustain a strong interest in science if they 1) participate in authentic science in a real-world
context, 2) engage with and understand relevant scientific content that connects to their community, 3)
interact regularly with professional scientists, and 4) act as and be seen by others as scientists. Towards
attaining the long-term goal, the overall objective of this project is to develop, implement, and study an out-of-
school time program in which underserved middle school youth (ages 11-13) participate in authentic scientific
investigations of environmental health sciences in their community and present their findings to their families,
community members, and a broader audience. The rationale for the proposed project is that a project-based
curriculum can increase science skills and career awareness and, after testing and refinement, be replicated
with other populations. The objective of the project will be accomplished by three specific aims: (1) Develop a
modular out-of-school curriculum in environmental health sciences that emphasizes student choice and place-
based learning, (2) Implement the student program in communities of concentrated poverty in Madison
County, Illinois through a partnership with local community organizations, and (3) Provide professional
development for educators in community-based environmental health sciences. The proposed program is
significant because it (a) generates new knowledge about science interest development, (b) provides a model
for environmental health science education in low-income urban communities, and (c) creates portable
curriculum units that formal and informal educators can adapt to their specific teaching contexts. The project
is innovative because it (a) utilizes a novel combination of high-impact educational practices to reach the
intended audience, (b) applies Environmental Photovoice methodologies with youth, (c) unites partner
organizations that typically do not work together around the common goal of developing the scientific skills
and health career interests of at-risk youth, and (d) uses student choice and community relevance as central
tenets for curriculum design and programming.
