Goals
The PATHS-UP pre-college education program combines educational and outreach activities
designed to achieve the shared goals of:
- Stimulating interest in and enhancing preparation for postsecondary STEM education and careers, particularly by students from underrepresented populations, and
- Enhancing interactions with test bed communities, to promote dissemination and acceptance of new PATHS-UP technologies, ultimately resulting in improved healthcare in underserved communities.
Proposed Activities
To accomplish the PATHS-UP pre-college education and outreach goals, existing activities for teachers and students will be expanded to include new topics and a focus on the project test bed communities. K-12 teachers participating in RETs will learn about PATHS-UP, and develop new research-inspired lesson and activity plans. These will be implemented in a variety of outreach programs for K-12 students (Field Experiences, Engineering EXPO, Research Day) and widely disseminated through professional development conferences for teachers, including the Summer Institute for K-12 Educators. The Young Scholars program will provide authentic research and learning experiences for high school students, including opportunities for sustained mentorship and career development. The programs will include an emphasis on K-12 teachers and students in rural and urban schools within the underserved and low SES test bed communities in Hidalgo and Harris counties in south Texas, service provider area 6 (SPA6) in south Los Angeles County, California, and Miami-Dade County in south Florida, although national dissemination of PATHS-UP classroom lessons and educational modules is a long-term goal.
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