Shaping change locally: a place-based STEM project’s influence on rural elementary and middle grade students

IntroductionPlace-based education (PBE) seeks to integrate local environmental, cultural, and community contexts into learning. With instruction grounded in students’ lived experience, this approach has the potential to enhance engagement and foster identity development, particularly in STEM disciplines. However, research on how PBE may influence STEM identity and agency development, especially in rural contexts, remains limited.MethodsThis study examines the effects of a place-based STEM project on fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade students in a rural school, focusing on identity affiliations, self-perception, and community engagement. Using a case study approach with elements of participatory action research, we analyzed pre- and post-project surveys, focus group interviews, and qualitative reflections.ResultsFindings indicate that students experienced significant shifts in their identity affiliations, particularly as advocates, problem-solvers, and community members. Students developed a stronger sense of environmental responsibility and STEM competence, engaging in authentic scientific inquiry and public advocacy. The project fostered interdisciplinary learning, real-world problem-solving, and strengthened students’ sense of agency through their involvement in a local wildlife-vehicle collision mitigation effort.DiscussionThis study highlights the role of PBE in supporting STEM identity formation and civic engagement, demonstrating how locally relevant projects can empower students to see themselves as capable STEM learners and active community participants. The findings contribute to the growing body of research on place-based STEM education, emphasizing its potential for enhancing student engagement, agency, and identity development in rural contexts

Detecting and Mapping Slag Heaps at Ancient Copper Production Sites in Oman

This study presents a new approach for detection and mapping of ancient slag heaps using 16-band multispectral satellite imagery. Understanding the distribution of slag (a byproduct of metal production) is of great importance for understanding how metallurgy shaped long-term economic and political change across the ancient Near East. This study presents results of slag mapping in Oman using WorldView-3 (WV3) satellite imagery. A semi-automated target detection routine using a mixed tuned matched filtering (MTMF) algorithm with scene-derived spectral signatures was applied to 16-band WV3 imagery. Associated field mapping at two copper production sites indicates that WorldView-3 satellite data can differentiate slag and background materials with a relatively high (&gt;90%) overall accuracy. Although this method shows promise for future initiatives to discover and map slag deposits, difficulties in dark object spectral differentiation and underestimation of total slag coverage substantially limit its use. Resulting lower estimations of combined user’s (61%) and producer’s (45%) accuracies contextualize these limitations for slag specific classification. Accordingly, we describe potential approaches to address these challenges in future studies. As sites of ancient metallurgy in Oman are often located in areas of modern exploration and mining, detection and mapping of ancient slag heaps via satellite imagery can be helpful for discovery and monitoring of vulnerable cultural heritage sites.</jats:p

Detecting and Mapping Slag Heaps at Ancient Copper Production Sites in Oman

This study presents a new approach for detection and mapping of ancient slag heaps using 16-band multispectral satellite imagery. Understanding the distribution of slag (a byproduct of metal production) is of great importance for understanding how metallurgy shaped long-term economic and political change across the ancient Near East. This study presents results of slag mapping in Oman using WorldView-3 (WV3) satellite imagery. A semi-automated target detection routine using a mixed tuned matched filtering (MTMF) algorithm with scene-derived spectral signatures was applied to 16-band WV3 imagery. Associated field mapping at two copper production sites indicates that WorldView-3 satellite data can differentiate slag and background materials with a relatively high (&gt;90%) overall accuracy. Although this method shows promise for future initiatives to discover and map slag deposits, difficulties in dark object spectral differentiation and underestimation of total slag coverage substantially limit its use. Resulting lower estimations of combined user&rsquo;s (61%) and producer&rsquo;s (45%) accuracies contextualize these limitations for slag specific classification. Accordingly, we describe potential approaches to address these challenges in future studies. As sites of ancient metallurgy in Oman are often located in areas of modern exploration and mining, detection and mapping of ancient slag heaps via satellite imagery can be helpful for discovery and monitoring of vulnerable cultural heritage sites

From the Paleolithic to the Islamic Era in Wilayat Yanqul: The Archaeological Water Histories of Oman (ArWHO) Project Survey 2011-2018

Article published by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism Sultanate of Oman.International audienceThe Archaeological Water Histories of Oman (ArWHO) Project began in 2011 with a focus on the role of water availability in the long-term trajectories of ancient civilizations. From 2011 to 2018, the project surveyed Wilayat Yanqul and adjacent areas. This included wide-area reconnaissance survey as well as systematic sampling of a 100 km2 area northeast of the town of Yanqul. This paper reports basic results of the survey, including numbers of archaeological sites documented, and baseline analysis of associations with water resources. Important results include Paleolithic finds, discovery of new Neolithic sites, insights about Bronze Age monuments, new understanding of Iron Age trade, and broader understanding of small Islamic era settlements in mountainous hinterlands