Covid 19: RAPID; Science as an Act of Service: Enhancing Science Motivation in High School Students During a Public Health Crisis

Dr. Matthew H. Kim, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Kentucky, will serve as a co-Principal Investigator on the NSF-funded RAPID project Science as an act of service: Enhancing science motivation in high school students during a public health crisis. Dr. Kim will collaborate with Dr. Ed Madison (PI, University of Oregon), Dr. Jenefer Husman (Co-PI, University of Oregon), and Dr. Ross Anderson (Co-PI, Inflexion), on the project. Dr. Kim has a successful track record of productive collaborations across research institutions on large federally-funded grants, including an ongoing $1.2 million NSF ITEST grant My STEM Story: Scaling STEM motivation through digital storytelling and near peer relationships (DRL 1759442). Roles and responsibilities Dr. Kim will provide intellectual leadership and direction regarding principles of adolescent development as well as the conceptualization and measurement of motivation in adolescent youth. Dr. Kim will co-lead the design and management of the project’s measurement plan and will lead the quantitative data analysis. The project will draw on the expertise of the Department of Psychology and the College of Education at the University of Kentucky, which are nationally recognized for its research on adolescent development, motivation, and gender and racial/ethnic identity. Data management As noted in the study’s data management plan, Dr. Kim possesses an active Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) certification and has completed the module on human subjects. Communication and dissemination Dr. Kim will participate in regular project meetings (video conference and in-person) throughout the duration of the study. The project team will use a variety of communication methods, including Slack and Zoom, for day-to-day project communication. Dr. Kim will also contribute to the project’s dissemination efforts through presentations at academic and professional conferences, such as the American Educational Research Association and the Society for Research on Adolescence.