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Makale Özeti:
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Informal place-based environmental education is a proven approach for increasing
environmental awareness for students in urban cities. This article describes and
qualitatively evaluates the first two academic years of the EnvironMentors program at
Louisiana State University (LSU-EM), which is part of a national network of
EnvironMentors programs. Despite its short history, LSU-EM has already proven
successful as an after-school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
mentoring and college-access program predicated on a nearby campus and community
partnerships. LSU-EM partners with the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for
Undergraduate Programs (Gear Up) in the College of Education and the Louisiana Sea
Grant program for support and to foster the relationships among scientists, educators, and
high school students. Each high school student is paired with two science mentors from
the university. Students and their mentors spend the school year conducting an
environmental science-based research project to be presented at the LSU-EM Science
Fair. Program evaluations indicated students enjoyed forming a bond with their mentors,
increased their environmental awareness, and had a better understanding of the scientific
method after participating in LSU-EM. Mentors improved their science communication
skills, benefited personally by giving back to the community, and took pride in their
student’s work. Program success was also measured based on the number of students
completing their EnvironMentors projects, graduating high school and enrolling in
postsecondary educational institutions.
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