Gulf Research Program Awards Over $4M to Support the Next Generation of STEMM Leaders in Environmental Justice

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Gulf Research Program Awards Over $4M to Support the Next Generation of STEMM Leaders in Environmental Justice

News Release| November 7, 2024

WASHINGTON - The Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced today awards of over $4 million to support six projects that provide high school students with opportunities to learn and apply STEMM in the examination of environmental hazards and their effects on the health and resilience of communities in the Gulf of Mexico region.

These six projects strive to empower youth across the Gulf of Mexico region, helping them deepen their understanding of issues impacting their local communities, improve their scientific and environmental literacy, and contribute to the betterment of the region at large. In addition, local teachers will receive paid professional development opportunities to incorporate environmental justice activities into their teaching practice.

"We are excited by the reach of these projects that engage and support students as they develop their scientific and environmental literacy and understanding of environmental justice issues facing their communities," said Karena Mothershed, director of GRP's Board on Gulf Education and Engagement. "The additional paid professional development opportunities for teachers ensure that these critical skills continue to be taught to future students beyond the conclusion of these projects."

The six projects are:

Ripples to Waves: Expanding Place-Based, Justice-Centered Environmental Curriculum on the Gulf Coast

Project Director: Claire Anderson, Ripple Effect Water Literacy Project

Award: $804,821

Summary: This project builds on one of the first local adaptations of OpenSciEd curriculum in the U.S., drawing on the expertise of local partners and OpenSciEd instruction designers to provide students with multiple weeks of in-school instruction and field-based research to investigate locally relevant water issues that disproportionately impact Black residents of the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin region. The project will develop three justice-based water literacy curriculum units, including one focused on hurricanes that will culminate with students developing Youth Participatory Action Research projects to understand how hurricanes have impacted their communities and what actions they can take for a more safe and equitable future.

Houston Environmental Action Learning (HEAL) for High School Teachers and Students

Project Director: Carolyn Nichol, Rice University

Award: $499,204

Summary: This two-year program will support a total of 96 students and 24 environmental science teachers through an immersive two-week summer experience focused on environmental justice, with follow-up sessions each fall and winter. Students will engage in hands-on learning and field work to build scientific skills and stimulate ideas for action research projects that reflect the challenges faced by their own communities. Led by a diverse interdisciplinary group of Rice University faculty and researchers, participants will examine urban land development, air and water quality, and climate change at the local level, confronting the impacts that these environmental hazards pose on health and resilience in the Houston area. In tandem, the HEAL program will support high school environmental science teachers through professional development in environmental justice education and project-based learning pedagogy.

I-DIEM HERricane Aftermath

Project Director: Mia Sanati, Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management (I-DIEM)

Award: $747,384

Summary: HERricane Aftermath is a two-week summer day camp for female high school students. The curriculum combines classroom learning, field trips, and interactions with experts and community members to provide a comprehensive understanding of climate change's diverse impacts. Participants will study the science behind global warming and climate models, investigate the effects on natural systems, infrastructure, and public health, and address the challenges faced by underserved communities. The camp emphasizes active engagement in devising practical, innovative solutions that can tackle environmental injustices and promote climate resilience from an equity-centered perspective.

Targeting 25-30 young women from grades 10 to 12 per location, the program prioritizes inclusion, focusing on underrepresented groups including racial and ethnic minorities, low-income students, LGBTQ+ youth, students with disabilities, and others disproportionately affected by environmental issues.

Exploring Environmental Health Hazards with STYLE (Sustained Training for Youth Leadership in the Environment)

Project Director: Amy Neblett, Artist Boat

Award: $499,785

Summary: This place-based experiential program will focus on the use of science and art to understand climate change, sea-level rise, and extreme storm flooding and the pollution left behind after these events, along with addressing the stress and anxiety of living in a place where these environmental hazards are a present concern. Engaging 800 students and eight teachers from four high schools, participants will examine environmental hazards in their local communities through a series of classroom-based workshops and eco art kayak adventures. Additionally, 100 students of those 800 will participate in a paid field mentorship program where they will work with art educators and environmental health researchers to investigate and understand the effects of environmental hazards on the health and resiliency of their local communities.

Environmental Justice Project LEAD with Underserved Youth and Communities through STEMM Utility, Advocacy, and Decisions

Project Director: Ryan Culbertson, American STEM Alliance

Award: $544,582

Summary: This project will bring together a diverse team of practitioners in education, environmental sciences, and STEMM fields to develop a cohesive place-based environmental justice curriculum for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's Pre-freshman Enrichment Program. Participating high school students will explore environmental inequalities and health disparities in their communities and develop potential solutions through project-based learning and student-led research. Field trips to collaboration partners will provide opportunities for students to engage in hands-on learning activities with community leaders and professionals. Through research symposiums, students will present their research to partners, university faculty and staff, local school district teachers and administrators, and their schools and local libraries. Additionally, students will be paired with faculty mentors at the university who can provide guidance to help them achieve their individual academic and career goals.

STEMM Scholars for Environmental Justice (SSEJ) Program

Project Director: Ashley Williams, University of South Alabama

Award: $947,928

Summary: This program has two components: classroom-based learning activities for STEMM scholars and mentored projects. The classroom-based learning will consist of 10 sessions covering topics related to the intersectionality of the STEMM fields and environmental justice. The program's mentored projects use a mentored and participatory action approach to conduct needs assessments and community-engaged projects related to environmental justice. Students will be invited to present their work at school, in the community, and on the university's campus. STEMM scholars will collectively perform a final service project of their choosing.

The National Academies' Gulf Research Program is an independent, science-based program founded in 2013 as part of legal settlements with the companies involved in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. It seeks to enhance offshore energy system safety and protect human health and the environment by catalyzing advances in science, practice, and capacity to generate long-term benefits for the Gulf of Mexico region and the nation. The program has $500 million for use over 30 years to fund grants, fellowships, and other activities in the areas of research and development, education and training, and monitoring and synthesis.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, engineering, and medicine. They operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln.

Contact:

Pete Nelson, Director of Public Engagement and Communications

Gulf Research Program

email [email protected]