Each year, the Science Math Resource Center at MSU co-hosts the STEM Summer Institute, an annual conference for over 170 K-12 educators from around the state. This summer, SMRC led a workshop that introduced educators to the SMART FIRES project and included presentations by Dr. Kevin Repasky from the Smart Optical Sensor thrust and Will Jardee from the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning thrust.
Educators also engaged in a discussion on how they could integrate SMART FIRES citizen science initiatives–such as placing air quality sensors in schools around Montana–into their classrooms. Many expressed interest in the project and contributed ideas on how SMART FIRES research could align with Next Generation Science Standards. Most conference participants also visited the SMART FIRES exhibit booths run by SMRC and spectrUM to learn about citizen science and other educational opportunities. spectrUM’s booth included the Smoke Box, which demonstrates how smoke contributes to air quality as well as how quickly a homemade box fan filter can clear a cubic meter of smoke.
As each teacher can reach dozens of students or more each year, outreach at the STEM Summer Institute is significant. Integrating the citizen science initiative into classrooms and supporting teachers with other educational resources will provide localized STEM activity and connections to university research.