Jeremy, the concept of Chief Science Officers in quite fascinating, and I believe that we could contextualize it in the Kenyan context. I attended a STEM Community of Practice Meeting in 2020 in San Antonio, TX, but thereafter the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard and disrupted most programmes in education. I'll surely visit the links provided and would be keen to explore strategies in which the CSO ideas could find traction in our context.

Thanks for your comment, Mike!

We are excited about the growth of the program and the pandemic allowed the CSOs to innovate ways to collaborate digitally. It actually increased their awareness of students in other states and countries interested in STEM. CSOs were able to host trainings via Zoom, Meets, Teams, WebEx and more. They have become proficient chat box communicators and breakout room moderators!

Through a collaboration with the STEM Ecosystem network, we hope to continue to grow the program in additional states and countries. Recently, we submitted a DoD grant to broaden engagement with military affiliated students as well. As a retired Army SFC, I hope to connect students who are required to transition frequently due to a parent PCS with a network of like minded individuals across the nation... and beyond! Over the 3 years I have been affiliated with the CSO Program, one note of feedback from the participants is the joy of being connected to a network of youth interested in STEM and having adults actually listen to their suggestions for the future.

We plan to pilot levels 4-6 of the leadership training and grow the CSO Alumni Association this upcoming year to continue the growth you mentioned in confidence. The students who participate in CSO have shared their individual growth regarding self esteem and awareness of interest on a regular basis. They are comfortable discussing events, issues and community topics with elected officials, CEOs and industry leaders, administrators and their peers, which is often the toughest group to tackle as a middle and high school student.

We are looking forward to additional data integration projects as a team to provide more specific support to the CSOs as they progress in their Action Plan process during the year. CSO Lauren is the one CSO who started as a 6th grader and will now be heading into the 7th year as a Senior! Let me know if you would like to meet her... she is IMPRESSIVE.

Thanks again, 

Kelly

Kelly

Thanks for the question, Thomas!

The recruitment strategy varies from state or cabinet, but in the CSO ITEST project funded by NSF the goal was to identify 6-12th graders who are interested in STEM, innovation and leadership. In Arizona, we connect with schools identified as Title 1 and 21st Century Learning locations. We have also connected with off campus sites to find students who would like to focus on community impact projects either with their church, scout troops, civic leadership councils and many homeschool students.

We have a variety of KPIs to measure the impact of the program on the CSO as individuals, the impact of their Action Plan projects and STEM awareness on their campus/community. Prior to starting the Leadership Training Institute, CSOs complete a self evaluation regarding their skills in leadership and project management. During the course of the year they meet with CSOs from other schools to assess their progress during Cabinet Meetings. At the end of the year, they complete another evaluation to measure their personal growth. 

The program staff also evaluates project management and completion rates, assesses CSO and site participation during site visits or touch base calls, gathers feedback from STEM professional interactions with CSOs and event participation feedback surveys.

As CSOs progress through the six levels of leadership training, the Action Plan projects grow in depth and impact on a community. CSOs participate in advisory councils and working groups with a variety of stakeholders to advocate for student voice. The response from adults tends to always be "I am impressed." We would like the program to take it up a notch and have adults say, "Have you considered asking a CSO to join this conversation?" and invite more students to the table/meetings about STEM education and the future workforce!

 

Thank you for your question, Rebecca! 

In the six levels, the progression of development is focused on the 4 specific goals of the program as each CSO develops skills to support their role as an advocate.

- Leadership Training (communication and interpersonal skills)

- Project Management (Action Plan process and data analysis)

- Community Role (attend, participate, lead and create opportunities for STEM events)

- Engagement (meetings, panels, keynotes, group discussions)

We have been able to replicate from the initial program in Arizona to 8 additional states in the US. At level 1, we focus on becoming a leader and project management skill development. However, some CSOs are ready to advance to Level 2 based on other experiences in school. We go deeper into their personality traits and understanding how an Action Plan can make an impact by gathering feedback. CSOs that are ready for a deep dive on data collection and analysis work in smaller focus groups. In Level 3 and beyond, we focus on more intense training on having a Growth Mindset and community impact projects.

Currently, we have a focus group on DEI formed by CSOs and named Equity for Everyone Committee. They meet monthly and our previous AmeriCorp VISTA, Kaci Fankhauser leads them in discussion around understanding the gaps. They have designed and pilot tested their own DEI training for other CSOs in the network.

Let me know if you have additional questions!

Thanks Mike!

In Arizona, we will focus on the active duty military installations and their surrounding school districts, including Luke AFB, Davis-Monthan AFB, Marine Corps Air Station - Yuma, Yuma Proving Grounds, and Ft. Huachuca. We will also work closely with school districts near Papago AZ ARNG, Camp Navajo and Barry Goldwater Range.

If the DoD grant is funded, we will also connect with Wright-Patterson AFB, Joint Base McChord and more!

As a retired NCO, my dream is to have the CSO Program in all 50 states and US territories. To pick one, let's go with North Carolina! My sisters and I were all stationed at Ft. Bragg at one point.

Thanks Fritz! The Chief Science Officers are truly leading the discussions and it is important that we continue to promote their participation in STEM events to allow them to identify as the leaders of today... and tomorrow.

Thank you for your comment, Claire! We agree 100%.

Thanks for all you do to support the Chief Science Officers, Jake! 

CSO Sahiba - you are AMAZING and as an 8th grader, we are so excited to have you for the next 4 years! Thank you for being a mentor to your fellow CSOs as you have now served on your Cabinet, Region and the International Leadership Council. YOU are making a difference.

Thanks Anne! I was a 4-H'er back in Western New York. We should definitely collaborate!

Your team would probably love the lesson plans from the movie "Inventing Tomorrow" and our Zoom in on Science with the movie producer of "The Story of Plastic"! I can imagine they would be excited to meet the marine biologist who helped the sea turtle get the straw out of it's nose - Dr. Figgener!

Lesson Plans: https://www.inventingtomorrowmovie.com/remote-l...

Zoom in on Science with Deia: https://youtu.be/hQz0-n8d9WU

And Capture STEM Panel: https://youtu.be/t6EKQ3K5LEQ

Let's connect and brainstorm! Kgreene@SciTechInstitute.org