Television programming and similar media have traditionally portrayed scientists as nerdy or geeky white men, to the exclusion of women and youth from marginalized communities. While we see representations of scientists changing, we also find that STEM related media may play additional roles beyond modeling what scientists and other STEM professionals look like. In Talking Science with Media our team closely examines children’s video watching habits to understand how those prompt and sustain ongoing STEM related conversations with family members that can lead to the development of STEM identities.
By relying on input from students and OST leaders, the project team seeks to design, test, and validate a large-scale survey that captures the range of both cultural and educational experiences that shape youth’s STEM career choices.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Philip M. Sadler, Harvard
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Gerhard Sonnert, Harvard
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Susan E. Sunbury, Smithsonian Institution
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Monique Ross, Ohio State University
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Remy Dou, Florida International University
Financial support for this project comes from the National Science Foundation Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings Award No. 2215050. (Legalese: the findings and ideas presented on this page or elsewhere do not necessarily represent the views of our funders.)