Forests After Florence: an informal community-engaged STEM research project promotes STEM identity in disaster-impacted students

ABSTRACT Background Natural disasters, such as hurricanes, can have lasting impacts on a community Purpose This research evaluated how participation in an STEM education intervention after an ecological disaster affected students’ persistence, resilience, and STEM identity Sample Hurricane Florence impacted college students (N = 50) were recruited Design and Methods Participants completed pre-test, post-test and daily diary measures before, during and after they completed an intervention where they collected forestry data in their home hurricane-impacted communities Results Participants reported higher STEM identity following the intervention learning experience. Daily interest and enjoyment in science was higher on days when they reported more positive experiences. For resilience, for male students, but not female students, the learning opportunity fostered resilience. Male students reported higher STEM identity on days when they reported more positive learning experiences Conclusion These findings highlight the benefit of STEM education learning opportunities, particular for disaster-impacted students.