Broadening Access to High School Science Research Enrichment Experiences Using Cloud-Based Data Tools, Handheld Mobile Devices and Virtual Communication Technologies

The NASA STEM Enhancement in the Earth Sciences (SEES) Earth System Explorers Virtual Summer High School Research Internship fosters the development of the data and computational literacy skills needed by students to succeed in our technological, data-driven society. Big data is transforming how we communicate about and understand our world. The digital divide we are experiencing is not just about access to technology:there is a rapidly growing gap between those who can work with data and those who cannot. However, we face the challenge of making data-rich research experiences available to all students. There are many exemplary, highly competitive summer science internship experiences for high achieving students. Many of the applicants already self-identify as scientists and engineers in training. The question remains, how do we support those students who may have the interest and capacity for future STEM success, but have not yet acquired the past experiences and accomplishments to be competitive in internship programs? We designed and delivered a student research experience that is a step in broadening access to in-depth student research experiences. Besides accommodating students who were highly qualified and elected to participate in this program, our internship also welcomed students who missed the cut for the highly competitive team placements, some of whom presented program applications showing that they are still in the early stages of creating their own science identify and exploring STEM courses and careers. This presentation describes the mentoring methods used to prepare students for a research project that begins with fieldwork using the NASA GLOBE Observer mobile data collection and reporting tool, and culminates with the examination and analysis of large geospatial datasets using cloud-based data portals and data analysis platforms. We also describe the scaffolding activities designed to promote student science meta-skills that foster creativity, independence, and problem solving as well as the ability to contribute successfully to collaborative team research. Tangible outcomes of this project include 25+ team research posters submitted to AGU Bright Stars and 3 AGU presentations by incoming college freshmen team mentor teams.