My STEM Story is more than just a project—it's a mission to Expand participation in stem pathways. Supported by the National Science Foundation, this initiative seeks to invigorate the world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) through the art of storytelling and the power of mentorship.

In the My STEM Story project, Dr. Ed Madison and his colleagues coupled digital storytelling with reflective and imaginative exercises to build an intervention that connects students’ curiosities, values, and interests to possible future pathways in science. Our approach features unscripted conversations between high school students and college students from groups traditionally underrepresented in science career pathways. The stories that emerge reveal diverse passions and interests, relatable academic and real-world struggles, and the satisfaction of growth and success in science.

The My STEM Story team recorded these live lab-based mentoring sessions to produce powerful narrative videos—an approach grounded in research that demonstrates how real-world interactions between peers may benefit not only those students but also the students who view the videos. High school students explore a variety of possible future career paths through the authentic stories of diverse college students and relate these stories to their own lives to envision their own possible futures.

Essentially, the My STEM Story approach theorizes that if high school students can see relatable peers actively engaged in science and hear their stories about why they are pursuing science and what obstacles they overcame, those high school students may be more likely to imagine a future in science as possible and exciting for them. If this process unfolds, it could help to broaden the participation in STEM.

SPREADING COLLECTIVE AGENCY THROUGH S.T.E.M.

Our Research Team

The My STEM Story research team is a collaboration of scholars and professionals from various academic backgrounds. Dr. Ed Madison and Dr. Ross C. Anderson, initiated the project, recognizing the potential of storytelling in STEM education to connect youth to their personal values and curiosities and make STEM pathway development more equitable and inclusive. Dr. Ed Madison is from the School of Journalism and Communication and Dr. Ross C. Anderson is from Creative Engagement Lab and Oregon Research Institute. Joining them are Dr. Jenefer Husman from the College of Education and Dr. Matthew Kim from the Department of Psychology, both of whom bring their specialized perspectives on education, development, and student motivation. Together, this multidisciplinary team has developed "My STEM Story" with the goal of enhancing STEM education for underrepresented students.

(Right to Left) Dr. Ed Madison (Lead PI), Dr. Matthew Kim, Dr. Ross Anderson, and Dr. Jenefer Husman, (Co-PIs)

EDUCATOR FAQs

  • The classroom materials were designed for the high school level. We invite middle school teachers to make necessary adjustments as needed.

  • No. My STEM Story is a self-contained program. Teachers can choose to facilitate the experience live or enroll their students in the online program. It is not a replacement for your current curriculum. It has five lessons, and each lesson should take students about one hour to complete. Lessons include one or more videos and a variety of interactive components, such as discussions, drawing, and sharing of student work.

  • My STEM Story is a self-contained resource. You won’t need to create additional lesson plans or instructional resources, but we encourage you make any additions that will enhance the relevance and effectiveness for your students. If you would like to enroll your students in the online version, please contact program administrators through the website.

  • You will need five total classes for My STEM Story. One way to integrate My STEM Story into your classroom is to commit one day per week for five weeks to My STEM Story, such as My STEM Story Monday. We have seen high school students get excited about the videos, so this could be a great way to kick off the week. We can also help you determine other ways to integrate this into your class.

  • While not comprehensive, the following Next Generation Science Standards align well with My STEM Story:

    NGSS (HS-LS1-3) Scientific Investigations Use a Variety of Methods: Scientific inquiry is characterized by a common set of values that include: logical thinking, precision, open-mindedness, objectivity, skepticism, replicability of results, and honest and ethical reporting of findings.

    HS-ETS1-1. Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.

    My STEM Story also aligns with cross-disciplinary Common Core English Language Arts Standards:

    WHST.9-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. (HS-PS3-3,(HS-PS3-4),(HS-PS3-5)

    WHST.9-12.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (HS-PS2-1),(HS-PS2-5)

  • For the teacher-facilitated classroom version, you will need to print out the teacher protocol and enough copies of the student journal for each student.

    For the online version, you will need to ensure students have individual access to a computer and reliable Internet connection to complete the lessons. The entire My STEM Story program can be completed on a laptop, including the lessons where students draw and map their ideas. However, these can be printed out and completed, too.

  • Currently, My STEM Story is only available in English. After we learn more about the efficacy of the program, we hope to expand it to other languages.

  • During a science learning summer camp, high school students used videography to capture their conversations with undergraduate student near-peer mentors about their academic struggles and successes in science. The goal is for the digital storytelling videos to bring to life the experiences students from underrepresented groups have in their pursuit of careers in STEM fields. The project is based on the premise that interactions between undergraduate student near-peer mentors and high school proteges having similar backgrounds and social experiences have the potential to benefit both students in the near-peer mentoring relationship, as well as other high school students who view the videos and engage in reflective activities related to the video content.

  • My STEM Story’s principal investigators include Ed Madison, Ph.D. (School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon), Jenefer Husman, Ph.D. (College of Education, University of Oregon), Matthew Kim, Ph.D. (Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky), and Ross Anderson, Ph.D. (Creative Engagement Lab). This project is supported by funding from the National Science Foundation (Grants #1759442 and #2032226).

MY STEM STORY INQUIRIES

Contact our team with any questions, collaboration ideas, or suggestions: