Promising Practices Showcase

4-H Participation and Science Interest in Youth
Poster: Evaluation
University of California
Martin Smith & Cynthia Barnett
Nonformal science education programs like 4-H occur during out-of-school hours, include systematic learning opportunities, are typically facilitated by an adult volunteer educator or staff member and can expand curriculum offerings and complement formal education. These programs represent a critical component in the development of youth scientific literacy in that there is an ever-growing body of evidence indicating that most science is learned outside of the formal classroom setting, and that such learning experiences may even be more effective than school-based science. This poster provides a summary of outcomes from this study.

4-H Tech Wizards
Share Fair: Curriculum
University of California
Cynthia Barnett & Russ Hill
Tech Wizards is a great hands-on opportunity for youth ages 12-19 to develop skills in: website development; video and podcast production; GIS and GPS technologies; and Lego Robotics. 

California 4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology Professional Development Efforts
Poster: Professional Development
University of California
Steven Worker, Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty, Martin Smith, & Richard Mahacek
Effective 4-H Science programming requires capable educators. These educators must be able to frame activities in the experiential learning cycle, ask open-ended questions to promote inquiry, engage youth in science processes, and ensure activities promote positive youth development. The California 4-H SET Leadership team will share successful strategies developed to increase the capacity of 4-H volunteer, teen, staff, and afterschool educators to facilitate 4-H Science programming.

Crowdsourcing with Google Docs
Share Fair: Professional Development, Marketing
Utah State University
Paul Hill
There are many creative ways to use Google Docs. Learn how to simplify busy work by crowdsourcing; the act of sourcing tasks conventionally performed by individuals to groups of people (crowds) through an “open call.” Google Docs makes this concept simple to apply. Perhaps, you're using GoogleDocs in a creative way that can help others? Learn some tricks and share what you know.

Determining Intestinal Parasites to Enhance SET Learning in 4-H Animal Science Projects
Share Fair: Curriculum,Evaluation
University of California
Matthew T. Portillo & Cynthia Barnett
Determining Intestinal Parasites to Enhance SET Learning in 4-H Animal Science Projects allows 4-H youth to apply SET learning to discover new methods of approaching problems. 4-H project leaders using compound microscopes, fecal floatation kits and wet-slide preparation are a motivational catalyst for 4-H youth to become more engaged in the diagnosis, treatment, and health decisions of their 4-H animal projects. Determining intestinal parasite loads in project animals allows 4-H youth to make critical decisions in determining appropriate dewormer selection, facility control measures, and quality assurance for consumers of their project animals.

Embracing the Inquiry Opportunities in ALL your 4-H Projects
Share Fair: Curriculum
Oregon State University
Lynette Black, Patrick Willis, Jeremy Green, & Virginia Bourdeau
The Oregon 4-H Science team will share products developed in their state to build the capacity of county staff to support science education. These products include ten “how-to” science video vignettes that focus on implementing science inquiry across a variety of 4-H project and content areas including animal and natural sciences, foods, textiles, and rocketry. For each video, a one-page, “how-to” lesson was developed. Team members also collaborated with State 4-H curriculum specialists to develop 4-H Science Rich Handbooks.

Extending Science Education with Engineering and Technology: Junk Drawer Robotics
Poster: Curriculum
University of California
Richard Mahacek & Steven Worker
The Junk Drawer Robotics curriculum engages youth, ages 10 through 13, in understanding scientific concepts and processes, the engineering design process cycle, and technology creation and building. Junk Drawer Robotics provides youth these experiences by working with household items to complete simple design challenges. These robotics activities emphasize science, engineering and technology process skills, cross-age instruction (teens-as-teachers), the experiential learning cycle, and small group learning.

Innovative Partnerhsips: The Memorial Middle School Agricultural Extension and Education Center
Poster: Partnerships
New Mexico State University
Peter Skelton
The Memorial Middle School Agricultural Extension and Education Center (MMSAEEC) is a youth science center emphasizing inquiry-based learning and experiential education. The MMSAEEC model features a unique partnership between New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension (NMSU CES) faculty and staff, the New Mexico Legislature, and a public middle school’s teachers and learners. It is administered by the NMSU CES through the State 4-H program serving 450 predominately Hispanic and underserved students annually.

Join the Conversation at my4-H.org
Share Fair: Curriculum,Program Design and Development,Professional Development,Resource/Fund Development
National 4-H Council
Beth Hecht
my4-H.org is a socially-enabled online community designed to help you connect with 4-H professionals and volunteers! Connect with colleagues on a local, state and national level as you learn how to join existing communities and create your own! This one-stop-shop will allow you to find and share resources, and then participate in ongoing discussions around 4-H areas that are important to you.

Partnering with Your Local College/University
Poster: Partnerships
University of California
Hannah Grossman
A poster about partnering with your local college/university to recruit student volunteer leaders for SET projects. This poster will discuss benefits of partnering with a university/college, areas of complexity associated with this type of partnership, and tips for creating your own university/college 4-H partnership.

Partnerships in Natural Resource Career and Recreation Education Camp
Share Fair: Program Design and Development
Utah State University
Vernon Parent
Partnerships with local government agencies and education programs can provide an intensive camp experience for high school students, using real field scientists to explore natural resource careers and the sciences involved in managing our public lands.

Ready? SET LeGO! - Building Blocks for Diversifying Traditional County 4-H Programs
Poster: Program Design and Development
Oregon State University
Jamie Davis
An innovative SET program, titled Ready? SET LeGO!, has successfully overcome many of the challenges youth development professionals face when integrating new SET programming. Such as securing a group of highly motivated volunteers, generating buy-in from traditional county 4-H supporters and implementing SET programs while balancing a small budget. This poster will share ideas on how to “work smarter not harder” by reaching and retaining new audiences while participating in the science mission mandate.

Serious Play - Serious Learning: Engaging students through computing and robotics-
Share Fair: Curriculum
University of California
Kevin Gucwa & Brian Donnelly
Serious Play - Serious Learning highlights an STEM education program from the UC Davis School of Engineering's C-STEM Center. The program is built around the use of the Mobot robotics system developed at UCD that promotes learning by fusing robotics and computer programming with engaging, real world activities found in artistic endeavors such as dance and drama.

Shooting Science Fun into the 4-H Shooting Sports Project
Share Fair: Curriculum, Program Design and Development, Professional Development
Colorado State University Extension
Brenda Kwang
Shooting Science Fun into the 4-H Shooting Sports Project will focus on sharing the Colorado 4-H S.T.E.M Connections activity booklet developed for 4-H shooting sports leaders and member alike to learn how science, technology, engineering and math relates to their 4-H projects. During this sharing opportunity, there will be a basic overview of the program, sharing the current and up-to-date research from 2011, and then interactive hands-on activities with participants.

Showcasing 4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology Projects
Poster: Program Design and Development,Marketing
University of Wyoming
Robin Schamber, Johnathan Despain, Dawn Sanchez, & Lindsey Moniz
Wyoming 4-H has created a dynamic annual statewide event that creates an opportunity for STEM project members to Showcase their projects. The annual Wyoming 4-H Showcase Showdown has created a very effective and fun atmosphere for STEM project members to participate in a competitive event with their project. We have seen a steady increase in enrollment in STEM projects since our first annual event in 2008.

STEM Connections to Traditional 4-H Projects
Share Fair: Curriculum,Program Design and Development
Colorado State University
Christy Fitzpatrick, Barbara Shaw, & Claire Dixon
Looking for activities that relate STEM to traditional 4-H projects? STEM Connections are easy to use activity sheets with good science content related to 4-H project areas.  Agents or volunteers can use this resource to add STEM activities to meetings or other events. Some STEM Connections are designed as a series which can be used over several meetings, for day camps or special interest projects. Share Fair participants will get STEM Connections to take home.

There's No New Water! 4-H Water Quality and Quantity Curriculum
Poster: Curriculum
University of California
Martin Smith & Steven Worker
There’s No New Water! is a water conservation and water quality, curriculum grounded in a simple yet powerful concept that water is a natural resource whose quantity and quality must be responsibly preserved, protected, used, and reused. The curriculum is designed for high school age youth, with six sequential learning modules that are designed around the use of inquiry and experiential learning.

University of California 4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology Initiative 2008-2011
Poster: Curriculum, Professional Development, Evaluation, Resource/Fund Development, Partnerships
University of California
Steven Worker, Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty, Martin Smith, Richard Mahacek, & Andrea Ambrose
The goals of the California 4-H SET Initiative are to improve 4-H members’ understanding of science and help address the critical need for more scientists and engineers in the workforce. This poster provides an overview and summary of the past four years of the California 4-H SET Initiative in evaluation, partnerships, professional development, curriculum development, and resource development.

Using Partnerships to Market to New Audiences
Poster: Partnerships, Marketing
Colorado State University
Claire Dixon
Colorado 4-H in partnership with other out-of-school time organizations trained over 300 educators in statewide trainings across Colorado in the fall 2011. Using the Food, Culture and Reading curriculum supplemental STEM activities and kits housed in county offices provide resources for educators to reach more youth. This has been a great opportunity to reach many more youth than would have been possible without the partnership.

Using Ultrasound to Enhance SET Learning in 4-H Animal Science Projects
Share Fair: Curriculum, Evaluation
University of California
Matthew T. Portillo & Cynthia Barnett
Using Ultrasound to Enhance SET Learning in 4-H Animal Science Projects allows 4-H youth to apply SET learning to discover new methods of approaching problems. 4-H project leaders using a handheld ultrasound instrument is a motivational catalyst for 4-H youth to become more engaged in the management, nutrition, and breeding decisions of their 4-H animal projects. Incorporating ultrasound technology allows 4-H youth to make critical decisions in determining breeding/market readiness of their project animals.