NetSci High: Bringing Network Science Research to High Schools

TL;DR

NetSci High is an NSF-funded program that engages underrepresented high school students and teachers in network science research, enhancing STEM motivation and integrating network concepts into education.

Contribution

This paper introduces a comprehensive educational outreach program with developed materials, evaluation data, and best practices for teaching network science at the high school level.

Findings

Participation increases students' motivation in STEM.

Teachers adopt network science concepts in curricula.

Program fosters district-level engagement.

Abstract

We present NetSci High, our NSF-funded educational outreach program that connects high school students who are underrepresented in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics), and their teachers, with regional university research labs and provides them with the opportunity to work with researchers and graduate students on team-based, year-long network science research projects, culminating in a formal presentation at a network science conference. This short paper reports the content and materials that we have developed to date, including lesson plans and tools for introducing high school students and teachers to network science; empirical evaluation data on the effect of participation on students' motivation and interest in pursuing STEM careers; the application of professional development materials for teachers that are intended to encourage them to use network science concepts in their lesson plans and curriculum; promoting district-level interest and engagement; best practices gained from our experiences; and the future goals for this project and its subsequent outgrowth.