The "Enhancing Science and Technology Education and Exploration Mentoring (ESTEEM)" project, based at the Center for Women and Information Technology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), is a three-year, youth-based ITEST project that seeks to engage 336 middle school students in information technology (IT) learning experiences related to robotics, digital storytelling, animation, genealogy and nature. The centerpiece of the project is replication and adaptation of the NSF-funded "TechBridge" curriculum, developed by the Chabot Space and Science Center in California. Specifically designed for girls, the ESTEEM project targets underrepresented middle school students from low-income communities in the Baltimore, Maryland area.
The program provides quality IT experiences to girls, while also creating opportunity for meaningful participation of middle school boys. The focus of student activities is based on relevant research related to gender equity and STEM education.
Six middle schools in the Anne Arundel School District are involved in the project. Students attend a 22-week afterschool program at school sites, participate in a four-week summer submersion experience at the University, and visit local businesses and non-profit organizations on field trips. Teachers at the participating schools receive IT training to introduce IT learning experiences in the classroom. UMBC undergraduate and graduate students in computer science, information systems and computer engineering serve as fellows to provide school support and to work with students in the project activities. Utilizing networks established by the Center for Women and Information Technology, IT role models from the private sector visit schools as speakers and assist in classrooms. "ESTEEM" has the potential to serve as a youth-based IT model for young girls in particular, and underrepresented middle school students in general.
