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By Jenna Somers and Krystal Schmidt

This summer, around 30 middle-school students from the Tennessee Nature Academy explored upstream and downstream Mill Creek, which flows 28 miles from Nolensville to the Cumberland River in Tennessee. Some students moved as quickly as algae-covered rocks would allow, while others took cautious steps; all of them shared the “Let-me-see” mindset encouraged by , who leads the summer camp and research study.

“A lot of STEM curriculum designing for kids focuses on ‘can-I-be spaces.’ ‘Can I be a scientist?’ ‘Can I do this experiment?’ It introduces kids to established cultures and scientific language and practices, which is important, but that funnels them into a way of being,” said Carlone, professor of teaching and learning and the Katherine Johnson Chair in Science Education at Vanderbilt of education and human development. “What happens if we put them in ‘let-me-see’ spaces? ‘Let me see if I can discover where the crayfish live. Let me see if I can interview a scientist about an idea I have.’ We tell kids, ‘Try it out. See what you think.’”

This mindset supports what Carlone calls “horizon-expanding spaces,” where middle school students can explore STEM and other academic identities in a more fluid, developmentally authentic way. “At this age, kids move in and out of deciding who they are every day, so we wanted to design curriculum that reflects how they learn about and develop their STEM identities,” Carlone said.

TReCS campers and counselors cleaning up Mill Creek

TReCS campers taking measurements at Mill Creek

In 2023, she began leading an interdisciplinary study with co-PIs , research assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences and director of research initiatives at Peabody College, and , assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences. They wanted to understand whether and how place-based learning and STEM identity play supports youths’ engagement and development in STEM.

Even though the students in this year’s three-week camp were from Tennessee Nature Academy, and therefore well versed in outdoor STEM learning, by the end of the camp, almost all of them expressed that the experience expanded their sense of belonging in STEM and what they believed they could accomplish.

TReCS Campers engaged in field work

TReCS Campers engaged in field work

A camper named Brax shared how scientific investigations inspired their appreciation for the creek’s diverse ecosystem. “Measuring pH levels, dissolved oxygen, and temperatures changed the way I think about the creek because it showed how a creek is home to many different animals and ecosystems,” Brax said.

Another camper named Kariany took pride in her newfound sense of altruism. “At first, I felt disgust [in the creek], but now, [I know that] we’re basically helping nature,” Kariany said. “I would want people to know that it’s gonna be scary at first, you’re gonna struggle a lot, but it’s going to be worth it because you’re going to feel helpful.”

TReCS campers investigate a snake skin

TReCS camper finds critters

TReCS campers conducting field work

Five dimensions of place-based learning

The camp’s support of students’ STEM self-concepts reflects the study’s five dimensions of place-based learning:

• Connection: The research team introduced the students to transdisciplinary science to connect them to their communities and each other as they learned about Mill Creek’s history, geography, and social and ecological significance.

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  Investigation: The students explored the creek’s depth, width, and ecological health, as well as how communities use land in the watershed. Along with community members, they cleaned up 425 pounds of litter.

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  Interrogation: The campers critically analyzed the socio-ecological connections in the watershed to understand which neighborhoods have access to clean parts of the creek and which are exposed to littered parts, which neighborhoods experience flooding, and how land use affects water quality from upstream to downstream.

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  Imagination: To develop their agency in supporting the creek, the kids interacted with adults who care for the creek and the socio-ecological health of the watershed. For example, farmers working with taught the campers about regenerative farming. They also engaged with members of , a councilperson committed to Mill Creek’s health, and Tolani Abari, a local 11-year-old environmental advocate. The campers then imagined possible futures for Mill Creek and its watershed, and rendered these stories in the form of podcasts, augmented reality, and zines (a pamphlet-like publication).

• Action: Following the camp, the students presented their designs at a exhibit on July 1. The act of storytelling for a live audience allowed the students to express agency over their environmental concerns.

Student agency on display at the Curb Center

TReCS campers presenting their awards (Kenzie Leigh Photography)

Heidi Carlone speaking with a parent and TReCS camper (Kenzie Leigh Photography)

Heidi Carlone presenting an award to a TreCS camper ((Kenzie Leigh Photography)

TReCS campers looking at photos from work at the camp (Kenzie Leigh Photography)

Chris Vanags speaking at the Curb Center event (Kenzie Leigh Photography)

The students’ presentations at the Curb Center exhibit reflected their range of emotions about socio-ecological thriving and their determination to strategically plan for Mill Creek’s future.

Two campers, Claudio and Matthew, interviewed , MSN’06, DNP’12, professor at the School of Nursing, in a about “grounding,” a therapeutic technique of immersing one’s feet in the soil, which she shared with them during a camp presentation along Mill Creek. Following the interview, they walked podcast listeners through a grounding meditation at the creek. , one of the camp’s teachers and a Native American woodland style flutist, played ambient flute music in the background.

A student named Carley Gray presented a zine project that imagined utopian and dystopian futures for Mill Creek. The dystopian renderings allowed Gray to express her anxiety about the future of environmental sustainability. “Over the course of three weeks, I learned more about myself than I knew starting camp,” Gray said. “I realized I actually kind of am a futurist. I am a creative.”

Using augmented reality, another group created 3D renderings of an improved site at The Global Mall in Nashville, formerly the Hickory Hollow shopping district. It is now a mixed-use building for public spaces, such as a branch of the Nashville Public library and a satellite campus for Nashville State Community College. The students’ designs of a rain garden and greenspace plaza were mindful of the socio-ecological needs of the community and informed by their study of the mall’s history, the for the mall, and interviews with visitors.

TReCS campers working on a podcast production

TReCS camper working on a podcast production

TReCS camper working on a podcast production

Affirming STEM identities

Throughout the camp, the research team and camp counselors honored students’ participation with STEM “identi-badges” that conveyed how the team viewed each camper’s STEM identity development. The badges affiliated students with around 40 unique STEM professions and self-concepts, including as hydrologists, animal empaths, water chemists, and creek caretakers.

As meaningful as the badges were, Carlone said the “identi-beads” meant more to the students because they selected the beads themselves, which allowed them to narrate how they saw their STEM identities form and develop throughout the camp.

“Part of curriculum designing for identity play is to provide kids the opportunity to narrate their participation and modes of engagement throughout the camp, whether that’s as an investigator, connector, tinkerer, environmental advocate, etcetera,” Carlone said.

She recalled the excitement of one student in selecting their identi-beads who said, “We don’t usually get to acknowledge ourselves in this way. We’re used to other people labeling us.”

Each camper selected multiple identi-beads, reflecting—much like the movement of Mill Creek itself—the fluidity of adolescent STEM identifications and ambitions.