Broadening Participation in Polar Science Through Informal STEM Education

This presents a unique obstacle for polar scientists when developing outreach strategies for funding agencies, requiring innovative approaches to share their research with the public.

One effective method for broad outreach is through educator research experience programs. These programs establish strong partnerships between field-based scientists and educators, offering a robust infrastructure for science dissemination. Informal educators – those working outside traditional classroom settings – are particularly valuable in this effort. As they engage diverse and expansive audiences through various means, polar scientists can have a broad impact by partnering with educators through research experience programs.

Informal educators offer unique opportunities to share scientific knowledge widely, reaching diverse audiences in museums, science centers, and public events beyond the traditional classroom setting. Programs like PolarTREC – Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating, established by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS), have supported this goal for over twenty years by enabling educators to join field research in the Arctic and Antarctica. Through PolarTREC, educators gain firsthand science experience which they later share through public exhibits, online resources, and community programs, thereby expanding the reach of polar science.

In 2016 and 2019, Dr. Dieuwertje Kast and Jocelyn Argueta, two informal educators, participated in PolarTREC fieldwork and subsequently engaged various audiences with their experiences. Following their fieldwork, these educators shared their experiences with a wide range of audiences through polar-themed school assemblies and science theater events, primarily in Southern California. Given the region’s significant Latinx and Spanish-speaking population, these outreach efforts were conducted bilingually to ensure inclusivity and accessibility.

To the Arctic! The Journey, the Research, and the Outreach

In 2016, Dr. Kast was selected through the PolarTREC program to collaborate with Dr. Byron Crump from Oregon State University. Dr. Crump is a researcher specializing in microbial biogeography and investigates how soil bacteria – key players in climate change – move from soil into streams and lakes.

The research took place at Toolik Field Station in northern Alaska, where Dr. Kast was embedded in the research team for three weeks. She assisted in the research by gathering bacteria and microbes from soil water, streams, and lakes to measure and compare CO2 levels in each environment. By embedding an educator into the research team, they were able to not just see the science but also get hands-on experience doing the science which is critical for understanding the scientific process.

Another key focus of the research experience was sharing polar science with broad audiences. As part of the program, both educators developed outreach plans with their research teams before fieldwork. Since Dr. Kast is an informal educator, working for the University of Southern California (USC) Joint Educational Project, it was necessary to design an extensive outreach plan targeting schools and after-school programs in Southern California. Through USC’s Wonderkids, Neighborhood Academic Initiative, and Young Scientists Program (YSP), the plan was to reach 1,500 low-income elementary students but ultimately engaged over 3,000.

The outreach plans were put into action before, during, and after the expedition. Before her expedition, Dr. Kast had 1,500 YSP students write postcards with research questions and create classroom flags which she used throughout her journey to foster student engagement. Throughout the research experience, social media was used to share the experience and have the youth and public connect with the research team, reaching a total of 16,044 people with the posts. After the expedition, the outreach continued, including creating an NGSS-aligned polar curriculum for other educators, hosting polar scientist talks, and organizing interactive activities.

To Antarctica! The Journey, the Research and the Outreach

Educator Jocelyn Argueta was deployed to Antarctica through the PolarTREC program in 2019. She worked with the “IceCube team” at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a cubic kilometer of South Pole ice with over 5,000 neutrino detectors frozen between depths of 1.4 and 2.4 kilometers below the surface. IceCube specifically targets neutrinos from the most violent astrophysical events, such as supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and dramatic interactions involving black holes and neutron stars.

Argueta's outreach targeted elementary students and Spanish-speaking audiences in Los Angeles, California. She prioritized bringing valuable Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) resources to underserved schools, ensuring that students in these communities could explore science in an interactive and meaningful way. Her bilingual programs also addressed the unique needs of Spanish-speaking families, with the goal of fostering a sense of inclusivity in STEM education.

Through five weeks of social media updates on the IceCube project, she reached 19,714 people with photos, videos, and fieldwork insights. She mailed 75 science-themed postcards from the South Pole and hosted a live webinar for 137 students and teachers. After her expedition, Argueta created a bilingual YouTube series, Tiny Ice: Bits From Antarctica, with ten brief episodes covering South Pole science and life. She also contributed to a bilingual science theater show, Jargie the Science Girl, which incorporated her South Pole videos to engage 500 young students.

Partnerships and Further Dissemination

After the expeditions, both Dr. Kast and Argueta wanted to take their experiences further than their initial networks allowed and focus on inspiring the next generation of polar scientists and foster a more inclusive scientific community.

In 2022, Argueta and Kast proposed a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math (STEAM)-Powered Careers collection to Room to Read, an educational non-profit. Their proposal was accepted, leading to the development of a ten-book series. This collection aims to inspire children from groups underrepresented in STEAM fields to explore a wide range of exciting and groundbreaking careers.

The series, available in both English and Spanish, covers diverse topics such as engineering, gastroenterology, marine biology, and polar science. Designed for young readers, each book features a trio of child characters and their animal companions alongside a scientist from the University of Southern California. Many of these scientists represent historically underrepresented groups, including Black, Latinx, and Asian communities. The STEAM-Powered Careers book series was created to address the critical need for greater diversity in children’s literature. While progress has been made, there is still significant room for improvement.

Each book in the series combines two key components: a fictional story, and a biographical section highlighting the work of a real-life scientist. In the Polar Science book, authored by Argueta, readers follow Mia, a young girl, and her curious companion, Sunny the snail, as they embark on an adventure to the North and South Poles. Their journey integrates elements of real-world polar expeditions, blending captivating storytelling with authentic scientific exploration.

Special considerations were taken in the book to promote diversity in STEAM and empower students’ curiosity about science. First, by centering Mia, a Latina girl, as the protagonist, Argueta’s goal was to help young readers easily relate to and see themselves in the science that was happening on the page. Second, Mia’s sidekick Sunny acts as a foil to highlight emotions that can come up during a field expedition, from uncertainty to confusion to excitement. Through the pair’s dialogue, the story models that it is okay for young readers to ask questions and meet feelings of uncertainty toward science with curiosity.

The second half of the book highlights real-life polar scientists and their research projects. Kast is featured as the North Pole scientist, while Argueta represents the South Pole. These pages offer readers an inside look at the realities of fieldwork, providing a glimpse into the daily lives and experiences of polar scientists.

To offer a comprehensive resource to both informal and formal educators, the books are available digitally for free and paired with a Polar Science Lesson Plan and videos where the animated characters interview the authors. The Polar Science Lesson Plan, designed for elementary students, focuses on teaching them about permafrost and the differences between the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Aligned with NGSS standards, the lessons emphasize constructing arguments about changes due to heating or cooling, understanding cause and effect, and practicing planning and carrying out investigations. The preparation involves freezing dirt mixed with food coloring in plastic containers overnight.

Conclusion

Efforts to integrate polar science into educational outreach, particularly through collaborations between scientists and informal educators, highlight the transformative power of inclusive science communication. Programs like PolarTREC bridge the gap between polar research and diverse audiences, especially within underrepresented communities. By incorporating inclusive strategies, these initiatives ensure that science is accessible and relevant to a broad spectrum of learners.

Through bilingual children’s books, interactive lesson plans, and engaging outreach activities, Dr Kast and Argueta have demonstrated how science can resonate with all students. Their work emphasizes the importance of representation in STEAM, showing that when young learners see themselves and their communities reflected in scientific narratives, they are more likely to envision a future in these fields. By fostering a sense of belonging, these efforts create a more equitable and inclusive science education framework, inspiring the next generation of polar scientists and promoting a deeper understanding of polar science across diverse communities.

 

 

 

Supplemental online material

● English: https://literacycloud.org/readinglists/62877-steam-powered-series

● Spanish: https://literacycloud.org/readinglists/65334-carreras-impulsadas-por-steam

● Polar book in English: https://literacycloud.org/stories/4997-steam-powered-series-polar-science/

● Polar book in Spanish: https://literacycloud.org/stories/5577-steam-powered-series-polar-science

● Polar lesson plan in English: https://www.roomtoread.org/media/3jwfkl0d/polar_science_lesson_plan.pdf

● Polar lesson plan in Spanish: https://www.roomtoread.org/media/z54lqprs/ciencia_polar-plan-de-estudio.pdf

● Dr. DJ Kast’s PolarTREC Expedition to the North Pole: https://www.polartrec.com/expeditions/microbial-changes-in-arctic-freshwater-2016

● Jocelyn Argueta’s PolarTREC expedition to the South Pole: https://www.polartrec.com/expeditions/icecube-and-the-askaryan-radio-array-2019

 

Photos (from the top): 1+2. Dieuwertje Kast (PolarTREC 2016), courtesy of ARCUS - 3. Jocelyn Argueta (PolarTREC 2019), courtesy of ARCUS - 4. Room to Read, CC BY 4.0 - 5. Jocelyn Argueta