Welcome to the first-ever episode of Sci-Tea with guests!

Join us (Nanci and Ryan) in a conversation with Dr. Barbara Billington & Leah Defenbaugh about getting kids excited about STEM. We thank our guests for their work with SciGirls and review how we used their materials for our own study! We talk about how Dr. Billington got into this line of research and the ideal ages to get kids excited about STEM. We also hear from Leah about the power of role models, the importance of flexibility both when bringing STEM to kids in different settings (e.g., schools, museums), and we all talk about the general importance of flexibility and a growth mindset while learning!
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✨ Dr. Barbara Billington is an instructor, researcher, and writer for SciGirls, a Twin-Cities PBS project encouraging girls to get involved in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). She teaches at the University of Minnesota in the College of Education and Human Development supporting pre-service K-12 teachers to incorporate student-centered, culturally relevant, gender-equitable, and inquiry-based science practices in their daily teaching. Her goal is to guide teachers to provide equitable teaching practices throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area and beyond. She has also assisted in the development of a gamified app, which is designed to help students understand cellular respiration and photosynthesis.⁠

✨ Leah Defenbaugh is STEM Outreach Manager for SciGirls, a television show and outreach program out of Twin Cities PBS that aims to change how girls see the world and how the world sees girls. ⁠Leah develops and implements STEM programs (science, technology, engineering, and math) for schools, museums, and afterschool programs. Her goal is to ensure that youth from all backgrounds have access to engaging, relevant STEM learning opportunities.⁠

Materials Referenced in this Episode:

✨ Check out Ryan & Nanci's paper using SciGirls materials!: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.psichi.org/resource/resmgr/journal_2021/26_1_Brown.pdf

✨ Watch Ryan & Nanci's video description of their paper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rzbu6f4eNE

✨ Check out Sci-Girls Connect!: http://www.scigirlsconnect.org/

✨ Check out the Sci-Girls role models!: http://www.scigirlsconnect.org/resource_topic/role-model-profiles/

✨ Kate Heckaman Firefighter video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAR1sMZvPms

Description of series: Sci-Tea brings behavioral science researchers together with multidisciplinary practitioners and policymakers for open conversations that demonstrate how the value of research can extend far beyond publication. Join Dr. Nanci Weinberger and Ryan Linn Brown in the latest addition to Ryan’s Science, which is a cross-platform science communication outlet that fosters curiosity and excitement around scientific research. Grab your tea (or drink of choice!) and join the conversation!

Connect with Ryan on Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok for more content like this: https://www.ryanlinnbrown.com/links

✨ Credits ✨

🔹 Sci-Tea was created by Dr. Nanci Weinberger and Ryan Linn Brown

🔹 Music was generously made by Kyle Evans. Hear more: https://www.youtube.com/user/kyleevans81

🔹 Animated graphics were kindly made by Yoully Kang. Follow her on Instagram @dearyouily for more!

🔹 Background research by Madison Ruggieri

🔹 Edited by Ryan Linn Brown

🔹 Captions by Mia Skowron

🔹 Sci-Tea is supported by Bryant University's Center for Health and Behavioral Sciences