Promoting K-12 STEM Education and Community Outreach through Interdisciplinary Grant Funded Projects

Keywords: STEM, Grants, Community College, UAS, GIS
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Monday
Session Start / End Time: 2/28/2022 05:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/28/2022 06:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 34

Abstract

One way that geographers can increase their presence in the local community is to develop interdisciplinary projects that support education in K-12 and outreach to the community. In this presentation, I review four grant funded projects at Sinclair Community College – a large, urban, two-year college in Dayton, Ohio. The projects include: (1) Building an Academic Pathway for the Aerial Sensing Data Analyst (NSF funded) -- a partnership with Unmanned Aerial Systems; (2) Educating Entrepreneurial Technicians for Unmanned Aerial Systems (NSF funded) – a partnership with UAS and business; (3) Mapping Across Disciplines: The Giant Ohio Map (Sinclair Learning Challenge Grant) – partnerships with multiple disciplines; (4) Vestiges of Redlining: Mapping Equity in Dayton, OH (Sinclair Funded internship) – a partnership with the 2021 Sinclair Equity Summit. These projects share a common purpose that is to increase student recruitment and engagement, increase interdisciplinary opportunities, and support outreach activities. Following reviews of the project, I will discuss the intellectual merits and the broader impacts of these collaborations.