PLANETARY SCIENTISTS’ EXPERIENCES ADVISING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

The Exploration of the Moon and Asteroids by Secondary Students (ExMASS) (https://www.lpi.usra.edu/exploration/education/hsResearch/) program provides a structure for secondary students to conduct authentic, open-inquiry research. The goals of ExMASS are to 1) provide an opportunity for secondary students to engage in multiple practices of science, 2) foster positive student attitudes toward science, and 3) enhance student knowledge of lunar and asteroid science. Since 2010, approximately 500 students from 42 schools in 24 states have participated in ExMASS.

Over the course of one academic year, students conduct two teacher-led, guided-inquiry activities followed by a student-led, open-inquiry research project. With guidance from their teacher and a scientist advisor, students focus their scientific investigations on the Earth’s Moon or asteroids. Near the end of the school year, students formally present their research to, and NASA Exploration Science Forum (https://lunarscience.arc.nasa.gov/nesf2020/). Evaluation data from each team are collected online through 1) content knowledge surveys, 2) an attitudes survey, 3) a process of science survey, and 4) exit surveys.

Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, ExMASS will collaborate with education researchers to conduct a mixed methods study of student-scientist interactions. The researchers will identify mentoring characteristics between the scientist advisors and student teams to determine how these characteristics impact student research.

This presentation will describe the ExMASS program with a focus on the advisor experience with students and teachers. Lessons learned will be presented, and program evaluation data will be synthesized with how advisors approach working with students and teachers. The ExMASS program is funded through NASA cooperative agreement #80NSSC20M0016.