Project TRUE – Teens Researching Urban Ecology will be featured in the 2019 STEM for All Video Showcase funded by the National Science Foundation.  The event will be held online May 13th -20th at https://stemforall2019.videohall.com.

The presentation, entitled Project TRUE -- Teens Researching Urban Ecology, looks at an immersive summer research mentoring program for NYC high school students aimed at training the next generation of STEM professionals. The project is based at the Bronx Zoo and is a collaboration between the Wildlife Conservation Society and Fordham University, and is funded by the National Science Foundation.

During the summer, New York City high school students and their WCS and Fordham University mentors conduct urban ecology research that explores the wildlife and wild places of the city they call home. The impact of Project TRUE is significant. Regardless of whether students go on to a STEM career, they overwhelmingly report that Project TRUE had a strong positive influence on their knowledge and understanding of science, and their desire to take care of the environment.

Now in its fifth year, the STEM for All Video Showcase will features over 240 innovative projects aimed at improving STEM learning and teaching, which have been funded by the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies. During the week-long event, researchers, practitioners, policy makers and members of the public are invited to view the short videos, discuss them with the presenters online, and vote for their favorites.

The theme for this year’s event is “Innovations in STEM Education.” Video presentations address improving K-12 STEM classroom, informal environments, undergraduate and graduate education, teacher professional development, and community engagement. Collectively the presentations cover a broad range of topics including science, mathematics, computer science, engineering, cyberlearning, citizen science, maker spaces, broadening participation, research experiences, mentoring, professional development, NGSS and the Common Core.

Last year’s STEM for All Video Showcase is still being accessed, and to date has had over 81,000 unique visitors from 186 countries.

The STEM for All Video Showcase is created and hosted by TERC a non-profit, research and development organization, located in Cambridge MA.  TERC partners with six NSF funded resource centers MSPnet, CADRE, CAISE, CIRCL, STELAR, CS for All Teachers. The Showcase is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (#1642187).