What are Community STEM Clubs (CSC)?
The CU Denver Community STEM Clubs (CSC) program is an interdisciplinary STEM training and outreach initiative that will task pairs of CU Denver graduate students to create and lead middle and high school STEM Clubs in the greater Denver area for the academic year. These interdisciplinary teams, comprised of graduate students, undergraduate students, teachers within each school, and CU Denver faculty mentors will engage with students through a broad range of activities designed to build excitement for STEM.
The CSC program is partially funded through an IUSE award from the National Science Foundation (STEM-CLUSTERS, NSF-DUE #1504535). The STEM-CLUSTERS project will conduct a thorough qualitative research study to ascertain how participation in STEM clubs impacts the undergraduate outreach fellows' learning, communication skills, metacognition, and sensitivity to equity issues in STEM.
The 2016-2017 clubs include:
- 2 general interest STEM clubs
- 2 competitive technology (TSA) teams
- 1 automotive team (HS students will design and build a hydrogen fuel cell car)
CSC Project Goals
The primary goals of the CSC program are as follows:
- Generate greater interest in STEM fields and inspire middle and high school students to consider STEM careers.
- Provide the undergraduate outreach fellows with an authentic, interactive learning experience through their responsibilities to plan and oversee a high school STEM club in a partner district.
- Develop the communication skills of graduate student participants through their organization of STEM clubs.
The National Science Foundation
CSC Program Director: Michael Ferrara • Michael.Ferrara@ucdenver.edu
The material on this site is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. #1504535.
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