This poster will report on the nine months of work conducted as part of the recently funded National Science Foundation Research in the Formation of Engineers project, "Research: Looks Like Me": Leveraging Funds of Identity to Enhance Engineering Career Pursuits in Rural/Reservation Communities. The overall goal of the project is to foster partnerships among tribal and community colleges and the surrounding rural and tribal school districts that will result in increased awareness and preparedness of rural and indigenous youth to pursue engineering and engineering related careers. We are currently assembling professional learning communities (PLCs) consisting of pre and in-service elementary teachers, instructors from partner tribal and community colleges, and faculty from Montana State University. The PLCs will work together throughout the project with the goal of supporting teachers in the design and implementation of placed-based engineering activities to increase 3rd – 5th grade students’ awareness of, interest in, and preparedness to pursue engineering related careers. We will use photo novellas and video diaries as a means for students and their families to document their views about learning, knowledge, and engineering. The photo novellas and video diaries, along with classroom observation data, will be analyzed to identify students’ funds of identity and current perceptions of engineering that will then be used by PLC members to develop place-based engineering-focused interventions for the students that connect to the programming and research happening at the tribal and community colleges.
In preparing the photo novella and video diary prompts for use with participating children and their families, the research team piloted the data collection and analysis process with members of the local university community. For the pilot, we had engineering faculty, education faculty, engineering undergraduate students, and education undergraduate students complete the prompts. The focus of this poster presentation will be to detail the data collection, data analysis, and initial findings of the pilot.
Rebekah Hammack is an Assistant Professor of K-8 Science Education at Montana State University. Prior to joining the faculty at MSU, she served as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow in the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings at the National Science Foundation. She holds a BS in Animal Science from The Ohio State University, a MS in Animal Science from Oklahoma State University, and a PhD in Science Education from Oklahoma State University. She spent 12 years teaching secondary science and engineering in Oklahoma, and is a 2014 recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
Dr. Nicholas Lux has is an Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction in MSU’s Department of Education. His teaching and research interests are in the area of educational technology. He has worked in the fields of K-12 and higher education for 18 years, and currently teaches in the Montana State University Teacher Education Program. He has experience in educational technology theory and practice in K-12 contexts and teacher education, with a focus on STEM teaching and learning, technology integration, online course design and delivery, program evaluation, and assessment. Dr. Lux’s current research agenda is STEM teaching and learning in K-12 contexts, technology integration in teacher preparation and K-12 contexts, educational gaming design and integration, and new technologies for teaching and learning.
Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering
Associate Director, Montana Engineering Education Research Center
Dr. Brock J. LaMeres is a Professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Montana State University (MSU) and the Director of the Montana Engineering Education Research Center (MEERC). LaMeres is also the Boeing Professor at MSU where he is responsible for initiatives to improve the professional skills of engineering graduates. LaMeres teaches and conducts research in the area of computer engineering. LaMeres is currently studying the effectiveness of online delivery of engineering content with emphasis on how the material can be modified to provide a personalized learning experience. LaMeres is also researching strategies to improve student engagement and how they can be used to improve diversity within engineering. LaMeres received his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has published over 90 manuscripts and 5 textbooks in the area of digital systems and engineering education. LaMeres has also been granted 13 US patents in the area of digital signal propagation. LaMeres is a member of ASEE, a Senior Member of IEEE, and a registered Professional Engineer in the States of Montana and Colorado. Prior to joining the MSU faculty, LaMeres worked as an R&D engineer for Agilent Technologies in Colorado Springs, CO where he designed electronic test equipment.
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