Early Entry into Ecology: Authentic Field ... - Wiley Online Library

ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION K-12

Early Entry into Ecology: Authentic Field Research Experiences for High School Youth Susan K. Flowers Tyson Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis, 6750 Tyson Valley Road, Eureka, MO, 63025 USA Katherine M. Beyer Educational Visions, 930 Allen Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63104 USA Abstract. Engaging pre-college youth in authentic field research experiences is important for supporting entrance of young people into the environmental sciences. Here, we describe a model and outcomes for integration of career exploration programs into the research and restoration imperatives of a university field station and a nature reserve. A progression of two partnered programs provide St. Louis area pre-college youth with field skills and then the opportunity to apply those skills in assistance to scientists on current research projects. The model provides for early entry into the ecological research career pathway for the youth and creates beneficial connection of professional activities to broader impacts outreach for the scientists. Importantly, the model differs from many other ecology outreach efforts because the youth programs are integrated into research rather than operating as separate outreach programs. With continued population growth and expansion of urban and suburban areas in the United States, we have a pressing need to train scientists interested in studying our rapidly changing natural environment. As we begin to address the necessity for a diversity of scientists to study growing impacts on ecosystems, it is important to recognize that most efforts to influence entry into environmental biology and ecology research are targeted at the undergraduate level. For example, the SEEDS program, ESA’s signature effort to promote entry into and affect diversity within the ecology profession, is focused primarily on undergraduates. The successful efforts in undergraduatefocused programs are incredibly valuable, but efforts should also be made to influence entry into Ecological Education K-12

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Ecological Education K-12

the environmental biology career pathway at an earlier stage. Bestelmeyer et al. (2015) recently concluded that “to create the contemporary ecologist—one able to grapple with complex, interdisciplinary questions at multiple scales and then actively engage the public in participating in and understanding their science—we need to create a pre-college culture where these practices are an integral part of what it means to be an ecologist. Early training allows students to recognize the range of skills that are important in the field of ecology. This might encourage more students, and particularly students from groups underrepresented in ecology, to consider the discipline as a possible career choice” (emphasis added). Students begin to form conclusions about their career path before they enter college. Therefore, pre-college career exploration experiences can have a transformational effect on decisions related to pursuit of science in college. Research shows university- based high school summer science programs have a positive influence on participants’ performance in advanced science courses, decision to participate in other science programs, and desire to pursue a career in science (Markowitz 2004 ). High school girls achieve greater gains from participation in lab- based research pre-college youth programs (Stake and Mares 2001 ). During transition from high school to college, career-related internships, and especially those with strong mentoring relationships, help adolescent girls form images of career- relevant possible selves and make subsequent career plans (Packard and Nguyen 2003 ). Likewise, participation in a research experience and a positive view of an ecology career are important factors in minority students’ decisions to pursue this career path (Armstrong et al. 2007 ). The model we present here influences earlier access to the ecological research career pathway by providing the necessary support for engagement in authentic field research experiences with scientists during the high school years (Fig. 1 ), which is especially important when considering the need to broaden participation of underrepresented groups in ecological research. The model Our model of authentic field research experiences for pre-college youth was developed as a result of two overlapping needs. First, scientists at Washington University’s environmental field station, Tyson Research Center, desired redesign of community outreach activities to be in alignment with research activities. As field research had expanded at Tyson, there was legitimate fear that K-12 school and scout groups might inadvertently trample research plots during field trips. Second, education staff at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Shaw Nature Reserve desired a high school level science program within their suite of public nature appreciation programs. Thinking about these two needs in parallel led to the idea of a series of two partnered informal science education programs, each based at one site and designed to play to the strengths of that site. Shaw’s easily accessible natural spaces (wide graveled roads and well-groomed hiking trails) and expert outdoor educators presented the opportunity for development of an entry level program specifically designed for youth who were not necessarily familiar or comfortable with the outdoor environment. Tyson’s role as a university field station, with landscape level projects spread over more rigorous terrain and scientists with varying expertise (e.g., undergraduates to tenured faculty), presented the opportunity for a more advanced program of research career exploration modeled on undergraduate internships. Beginning in 2008, the National Science Foundation supported a collaborative partnership between Tyson and Shaw to develop such programs (DRL-0739874). 112 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 97(1)

Fig. 1. High school youth learning to assess terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems during SIFT training at Shaw Nature Reserve. Today, the Shaw Institute for Field Training (SIFT) and Tyson Environmental Research Fellowships (TERF) programs provide access to authentic field research for high school level youth interested in careers related to environmental biology. SIFT is an introductory field skills training program that engages participants in scientific exploration of the natural world and includes opportunities to assist with real field work (Fig. 2). TERF is a more advanced field research internship program that provides SIFT graduates with an immersive and extended work experience on current research projects, as well as training in scientific communication (Fig. 3). In both cases, youth have the opportunity to assist career scientists with their ecological research. Accepted participants come from a wide cross-section of the St. Louis, Missouri community, including urban, suburban, and rural areas. As of fall 2015, eight cohorts have participated in SIFT and seven cohorts have participated in TERF for a total of 318 students from 65 separate high schools and homeschool. Participating researchers represent scientific careers at all levels, including undergraduate students, graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, technicians, staff scientists, and university faculty. Since 2008, the collaborative partnership has provided over 1,000 SIFT field assistance opportunities and 115 TERF internship experiences. Ecological Education K-12

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Fig. 2. SIFT program description.

While SIFT and TERF are separate programs, they fit together in an educational progression specifically designed for pre-college youth (Fig. 4). Exploration activities serve as preparation for more in-depth immersive experiences. SIFT provides a way in to the hidden world of field research and allows for dabbling in different areas. It is intended to match up to the needs of the youth participants in that it assumes no previous experience in the field, allows for personal choice in field work opportunities, and fits with the very busy schedules inherent in today’s high school experience. TERF is critically visible to SIFTers as a next step, providing a deeper and more focused experience for SIFTers who want to continue on with further exploration of field research as a career. TERFers may provide near-peer mentoring to SIFTers during 1-day work opportunities and they present their experiences to SIFTers during the TERF winter symposium. As with SIFT, TERF is designed to match up to the participants’ current life stage. It is the first real job for most and has supportive reflective activities built in to help with that transition. After summer fieldwork, TERFers may choose to attend scientific poster work sessions that fit with their extracurricular schedules. TERF provides a way in to the university-based research community, easing the impending next step to college-level courses and research experiences. 114 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 97(1)

Fig. 3. TERF program description. Learning by doing is pervasive in both programs and activities are scaffolded to increasingly move the youth participants towards independence. SIFTers and TERFers are often surprised by how much they are expected to do on their own. For example, SIFTers have responded with disbelief when on training day one they are challenged to independently navigate a route across Shaw Nature Reserve using map, compass, and GPS skills learned only minutes before. Similarly, TERFers quickly come to understand the gravity of their responsibility to their research team for accurate data collection when they are eventually trusted to do it without someone checking their work. During SIFT, introductory training activities are always hands-on, grounded in real world context, and then immediately followed by practice in the field with a local contextual application that includes data collection. Participants’ engagement with Ozark glade restorations can serve as a case study. When the glade ecosystem is introduced during the June training week, SIFTers learn about key features and species, restoration process and maintenance, and they become very familiar with the glade at Shaw, an exceptional example of a mature glade restoration. They learn to assess and measure biotic and abiotic factors, which are then compared and contrasted to those of other terrestrial ecosystems like prairie and woodland. After completion of training, SIFTers may sign up to assist with maintenance activities on a Ecological Education K-12

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Fig. 4. Progression of exploration and immersion experiences in the SIFT and TERF programs. large-scale experimental glade study, which includes 32 experimental glades at Tyson and nearby natural areas (Mechanisms of Species-Area Relationships in Ozark Glades, NSF DEB-0949984). They are provided with an overview of the entire project and may spend a half or full day working side-by-side with the Tyson glade team, including those TERFers who are embedded as full members of that team. In the first year of the Tyson glade experiment, SIFTers were instrumental in removing small woody debris from newly cleared areas, and more recently they have been incredibly helpful with sorting of insects collected as indicators of restoration progress. The glade TERFers likely assisted in the Tyson glade experiment as SIFTers and indicated a preference to work on that project during application to TERF. They are onboarded to the team with a research group meeting and reading of seminal papers. They spend the summer, assisting with a variety of community composition data collection activities like percent cover, pollinator observations, and plant demography for rare and common species. In some cases, TERFers are assigned to help an upper-level undergraduate fellow with a smaller independent research project. In rare instances, TERFers have conducted mini research projects of their own. All TERFers are encouraged to develop posters and presentations on either their research activities or the internship experience (Fig. 3). For some, data analysis and presentation of results extend their level of intellectual engagement closer to that of an undergraduate fellow. We have found that the design of SIFT and TERF as partnered programs is important not only for participating youth, as explained above, but also for the participating research scientists. SIFT can provide scientists with many hands for research activities that require low skill. It is a very short-term relationship with a number of young people who can provide time-critical support for labor-intensive activities like project set up, mass sample collection or processing, and break down and clean up of experiments. It also provides the opportunity to assess potential new research team members (TERFers) for the following year, and provides undergraduates with a near-peer mentoring experience. We ask the scientists who request SIFTer assistance provide feedback on the participants that can be used later to assist in the TERF selection process. 116 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 97(1)

What happens for the youth? For the youth, SIFT can be either validation that field research is a potential career, and they consequently choose to apply to TERF, or it may be enough to determine that field research is not for them. They get a chance to test-drive a field research career with the important option to not buy in, ending their participation after the first program. For those who want to go on to TERF, SIFT has provided important preparation for an immersive internship. An initial excitement for field activities can diminish unless it is accompanied by learning strategies for dealing with monotonous tasks, team discussions about what the collected data is showing, and conversations about what the implications are for the research and larger environmental picture. My experience leads me towards the career as I found that it can be an extremely social and enjoyable time. I found that while everyone was sweltering in the heat, they all had smiles on their faces and were willing to make jokes and carry on. It is that attitude that draws me closer to this kind of career. I learned that I have an interest in finding answers and that by finding and asking new questions I can keep working in situations that may be mentally/physically tiring. I asked him (field scientist) multiple questions on the different specimen [sic] we saw. He was a joy to work with because he really understood the project and was grateful for our time. He also helped me understand that some work in field research may be monotonous, but it is often new and exciting too. It is all part of the job. [The field scientist] helped us to understand the long-term implications of the project and how it could end up making a difference in how prairies are maintained. This shows the practical application of field research. – SIFT participant reflections after assisting on research projects, summer 2011 The combination of the SIFT and TERF programs encompasses what Lave (1991) suggests are features of successful apprenticeship environments. Both SIFTers and TERFers get “comprehensive goals” in their initial exploration of field skills, learning why scientists use these skills the way they do. The immediate use of these skills in data collection and analyses, as well as the overviews of research projects provided by the scientists, provides “an initial view of the whole.” SIFTers also see TERFers in the field with these same research scientists, making the progression through to the next stage of the career exploration process accessible. The work on research projects provides interactions with all types and levels of scientists, all working within the field station community. Longitudinal study of four cohorts of SIFT and TERF participants indicates that our model is effective in influencing youth decisions about career directions. SIFT participation provides clarification in youth thinking about environmental science as a career path. TERF participation helps youth maintain high interest in environmental science and provides important mentor relationships. TERFers come to identify with scientists and find role models and friends to stay in contact with for support as they enter college. Both SIFT and TERF appear to influence decision making about college majors and open the door for these youth to pursue additional research experiences as they proceed on to college (Flowers et al. 2015). Ecological Education K-12

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Before going into SIFT, I was unsure about what I wanted to study in college but after going through SIFT it showed me that I had more options than I thought I had. Before SIFT and TERF, I had no clue what you could do in the science field. SIFT and TERF gave me an inside look on what I could do if I chose to go into something like Ecology. – SIFT and TERF alumni reflection (African American female, environmental studies major), August 2012 What happens for mentoring scientists and the field station community? Mentoring and education practices

We have found that inclusion of pre-college youth on the field research teams at Tyson has positively influenced the mentoring practices of the scientists and changed how the undergraduate fellowship program is approached. The educational and mentoring supports put in place for accommodation of the younger students are trickling up to the Tyson undergraduate program, which is now treated as a more holistic educational experience rather than just summer placement with individual research groups that happen to be at a field station. Scientists consult with youth program staff and talk with each other about mentoring strategies for both TERFers and undergraduates. The TERF program has challenged and motivated my team members and me to become better research mentors and teachers. Because of the TERF program, I now make it a priority to discuss and prioritize mentoring goals with the undergraduates, graduate students, research technicians and/or postdoctoral researchers on my team prior to the start of the summer field season. We have also begun to organize team lunches to encourage informal discussion of big-picture concepts in ecology that motivate our dayto-day research activities in the field and lab. – Research scientist mentor in support letter, November 2014 Providing undergraduates with the opportunity to mentor at such an early stage in their careers has added a unique facet to their internship experience. As a result, the weekly undergraduate meeting has moved beyond traditional journal article discussion to include other educational and scientific training activities and time for reflection on the totality of the intense summer spent at Tyson. The SIFT and TERF programs have not only provided those participants with early access to the environmental biology career track but also positively changed the overall educational climate of all internships at Tyson. It encouraged me to think outside of the box as far as possibilities involving ecology/environmental science careers. I realize that while academia is still an option for me, I could also consider going the route of some of the lecturers and working for botanical gardens or a number of other places, or going into education as I really enjoyed the tiered mentorship. – Undergraduate fellow in exit survey, summer 2014 Research productivity

Integration of pre-college youth into research activities increases research productivity. A number of large-scale projects at Tyson have benefited from access to field-ready, motivated young people. 118 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 97(1)

Surveys of scientists consistently return high positive scores on items related to the value of inclusion of the high school youth in relation to research team productivity and quality of work (Beyer et al. 2015). The scale of the science done at Tyson would not be possible without the SIFT and TERF programs. This is not a trivial or program-justifying contribution. For science, and particularly ecological sciences to be capable of determining how ecological systems work at a scale that is relevant to their management, it is necessary to do big science. Yet, this approach comes with substantial logistical challenges, which could not be overcome at Tyson without the assistance of the SIFT and TERF programs. – Research scientist mentor during reflective interview, November 2011 Additionally, some TERF interns are now completing their own semi-independent research projects. In fact, independent research projects conducted by undergraduates and TERF interns are growing into an expected practice on research teams. Tyson scientists are developing long-term relationships with many TERF interns, asking them to return for an additional field season. As these youth are already experienced in the field station setting and with the research, their productivity increases with each successive year, a clear benefit for the scientists. In the current federal funding climate, it is no longer enough to have an intriguing research question and well-crafted experimental design (intellectual merit). Broader impacts criteria now carry more weight in the proposal review process. Our model for inclusion of pre-college youth in ecological research is essentially broader impacts outreach and we know that it has provided competitive advantage in research funding. I get fantastic feedback from NSF on my grant proposals. Reviewers comment on how well developed my broader impact statements are and on how impressed they are that I can mentor students from diverse backgrounds at all levels of education. Colleagues from other universities have asked me how I am able to conduct such high quality research and outreach. – Research scientist mentor during presentation to peers, summer 2012 Scientific communication

We have found that the presence of pre-college youth has enhanced informal communication about research within research teams. Scientists will tend to challenge an undergraduate student, expecting them to intellectually keep up with deep thinking about the research. However, those same scientists know that they need to go down a level so high school students are able to understand the big picture. When TERF interns are brought on board as novices, all members of the research team are actually better informed about the research agenda, supporting background theory, and data analysis strategies. One of the reasons that the process of science is opaque is that research scientists are notoriously bad at presenting, discussing, and interpreting their research for an audience other than the academy. While I think this is slowly changing, particularly among younger scientists, the SIFT and TERF programs, at their best, should offer just as much opportunity for scientists to learn these skills as for high schoolers to learn research skills. – Research scientist mentor during reflective interview, November 2011 Ecological Education K-12

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We have also seen the influence of the presence of pre-college youth on more formal research communication via scientific posters. Youth-designed posters showcasing the value of environmental research to the public were part of the original TERF program vision. However, these posters have since evolved from public service announcements into formal data-driven scientific posters that are now included in the university fall undergraduate research symposium. The development of research posters as a TERF program activity is influencing mentors to also push their undergraduate interns to create research posters. Undergraduates see TERFers planning posters with their mentors and gain motivation to create their own. Additionally, undergraduates and TERFers are beginning to collaborate on posters, which make sense to them as they have been collaborating on the research. This is a jump-start on professional communication skills that will be important in any career direction. Role of science education specialist

Obviously, people at all levels within the Shaw Nature Reserve staff and Tyson research teams had to change their practices to make this model of pre-college youth integration into ecological research successful. We found that having a science education specialist as the SIFT and TERF project director was key to helping each group understand why change was needed and then help facilitate the change. The director helped craft educational activities to prepare and position youth for work with scientists, and worked with the scientists to set realistic expectations of youth involvement. The director provided support for youth understanding of the career pathway and big picture, mediation of mentor/mentee relationships, and facilitation of reflection. We have found all of these supports need to be in place and therefore it is important to have a staff member dedicated to these efforts. You should see my broader impacts reviews. If (project director) and Tyson staff weren’t there, those reviewers would look at this and say this is not doable. It is ambitious but it is doable because of Tyson. – Research scientist mentor during reflective interview, April 2014 Conclusion This model of educational exploration (SIFT) followed by immersion in authentic research experiences (TERF) should be transferable to other science disciplines and research environments. It is essentially a variation on the concept of apprenticeship that we see in higher education across disciplines, with integration of additional educational scaffolding. This strategy brings the youth in rather than weeding them out. Our programs show that younger students can participate successfully as research apprentices. Other research environments should consider adoption of similar structures to broaden research participation by the next generation while enhancing the productivity of their larger research community. Youth access to professionals at multiple levels in a career pathway provides a realistic view of the career at various stages and time points, and most importantly allows for relationships to form. Research career exploration programs need to offer supported entry into the research culture that may be foreign to some youth and also encumbered with misconceptions about what scientists actually do. Research work takes place in a social and collaborative context. When youth participate in research apprenticeships, they engage with all levels of scientists and become collaborators in the research community culture. They do, in effect, try on being a scientist in the context of scientists at work. As youth find that scientists value their contributions, it builds confidence in their own capacity to enter the field. These 120 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 97(1)

kinds of supportive relationships can facilitate the successful entry of youth who are underrepresented within that career pathway. It should be noted that our model aligns with the current interest areas for the National Science Foundation Directorate for Education and Human Resources (Ferrini-Mundy 2014). It encompasses learning and learning environments, broadening participation, and workforce development. It can be characterized as an impactful outreach activity according to Skrip’s Broader Impacts Impact Framework (2015). And for the individual research scientists, the model provides for concrete connection between research activities and outreach activities, essentially merging intellectual merit and broader impacts, thereby increasing competitive advantage in proposal review. It is clear that our model provides an answer to the call for new pre-college approaches to ecological research training that engage in authentic practice. SIFT and TERF provide a truly transparent view into ecological research careers and embed youth in the associated cultural practices, while providing benefit to the local ecological research community. These youth will easily re-enter the ecological research community at the undergraduate and graduate school level, having already been an integral part of it. The challenge to the environmental field at large is to find the right people to spearhead these types of youth apprenticeship programs and, of course, find the funding. Bestelmeyer et al. (2015) call for ecologists and “those working at the interface of ecology and K-12 education” to take the lead. Ecologists at Tyson Research Center are working collaboratively with a science educator dedicated to meet this call. Others must also rise to this challenge if we are to secure a clear pathway for more young people to enter ecological research careers. Acknowledgments Development of the SIFT and TERF programs and research on outcomes were supported by a grant from the Informal Science Education Program of the National Science Foundation (DRL-0739874) and by Washington University in St. Louis. We thank those who provided critical review of this manuscript. We greatly appreciate the involvement of Lydia Toth, Kim Medley, Phyllis Balcerzak, the staff at Shaw Nature Reserve, and the Tyson Research Center community in the development and continuation of the SIFT and TERF programs. The opinions expressed in this paper are solely those of the authors. Literature cited Armstrong, M. J., A. R. Berkowitz, L. A. Dyer, and J. Taylor. 2007. Understanding why underrepresented students pursue ecology careers: a preliminary case study. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 5(8):415–420. Bestelmeyer, S. V., M. M. Elser, K. V. Spellman, E. B. Sparrow, S. S. Haan-Amato, and A. Keener. 2015. Collaboration, interdisciplinary thinking, and communication: new approaches to K-12 ecology education. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 13(1):37–43. Beyer, K. M., S. K. Flowers, P. Balcerzak, and C. Galluppi. 2015. How mentoring of pre-college youth affects field research scientists. Unpublished manuscript. Ferrini-Mundy, J. 2014. Plenary session representing National Science Foundation Directorate for Education and Human Resources. NSF Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) Program; 20-22 Aug 2014. Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education, Washington, DC. Ecological Education K-12

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Flowers, S. K., K. M. Beyer, M. Pérez, and D. B. Jeffe. 2015. Early environmental field research career exploration: An analysis of impacts on pre-college youth apprentices. Manuscript in review. Lave, J. 1991. Situating learning in communities of practice. Perspectives on Socially Shared Cognition 2:63–82. Markowitz, D. G. 2004. Evaluation of the long-term impact of a university high school summer science program on students’ interest and perceived abilities in science. Journal of Science Education and Technology 13(3):395–407. Packard, B., and D. Nguyen. 2003. Science career-related possible selves of adolescent girls: a longitudinal study. Journal of Career Development 20(4):251–263. Skrip, M. 2015. Crafting and evaluating Broader Impact activities: a theory-based guide for scientists. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 13(5):273–279. Stake, J. E., and K. R. Mares. 2001. Science enrichment programs for gifted high school girls and boys: predictors of program impact on science confidence and motivation. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 38(10):1065–1088.

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