Building and Sustaining an Undergraduate, All-Majors Community of Informal STEM Educators

Program Abstract: Partnerships between universities and K-12 have potential to broaden access to pivotal STEM experiences, however, obstacles such as funding and fluctuating volunteer interest create barriers to sustaining reciprocal partnerships. Furthermore, informal STEM is often inconsistent with school STEM, which can interfere with learning and frustrate teachers. To address these obstacles, we developed (1) a model for training volunteers of all majors to be informal educators, “STEM Corps”; (2) a teacher approved, research-informed K-5 curriculum; and (3) a partnership with Boys & Girls Club serving 90 students, 80% from economically-disadvantaged communities. In addition to the STEM learning opportunities, the interdisciplinary nature of STEM Corps (100 students representing 20 majors) combined with frequent interactions throughout the academic year offers children an array of “like-me” role models and demonstrates that “everyone is a STEM person”. We will discuss the model and preliminary outcomes with a focus on volunteer motivation, training, community-building, and benefits.