Empowering and Inspiring Young Girls a STEM at a Time: Using Place-Based Learning to Cultivate STEM Identities

[2021]
Winrow, N., et al. Empowering and Inspiring Young Girls a STEM at a Time: Using Place-Based Learning to Cultivate STEM Identities. Current: The Journal of Marine Education, 35(1), pp. 6–15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/cjme.41

The Living Oceans Foundation works with Black Girls Dive foundation to empower and inspire young black girls in Baltimore through aquatic-based STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) activities and ocean stewardship.

Published in Current: The Journal of Marine Education

Abstract

Black Girls Dive Foundation (BGDF) was established to empower and inspire young girls to explore their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) identities through aquatic-based STEM activities and ocean stewardship. BGDF’s STREAMS program integrates aquatic-based recreation of SCUBA with scientific diving, ocean science, and stewardship. STREAMS explores ways to have broader reach and impact on STEM identity and STEM interest for individuals who are historically underserved and underrepresented in the sciences and provides research informed ways to close the divide and bring about equity.

From Mangrove Mud to Meaningful Work: Desta’s J.A.M.I.N. Journey

Some students I remember for their grades, their quick answers, or a moment that made the whole class laugh. Others I remember for the way they stepped into the mangroves.

Desta was the kind of student who thrived outdoors. While some students hesitated at the edge of the mud, he walked right in. And when he inevitably got stuck — because everyone does — he didn’t get frustrated. He laughed. Covered in mud, holding mangrove propagules in his hands, he embraced the experience fully.

Even then, it was clear that he was connecting with the environment in a way that went beyond the lesson plan…

From Students to Stewards: A Full-Circle Moment for J.A.M.I.N.

There are certain faces you never forget.

Over the years, hundreds of students have stepped into mangrove forests with us through the Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) program. I may not always remember every name, but I remember the expressions — the hesitation before stepping into thick mud, the laughter when someone loses a shoe, the look of surprise when they catch that unmistakable sulfur smell rising from the mangrove soil…

Abstract

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From Mangrove Mud to Meaningful Work: Desta’s J.A.M.I.N. Journey

From Students to Stewards: A Full-Circle Moment for J.A.M.I.N.