NCSA Welcomes Paige Duncan to the Center Stage! December 9, 2024 Profiles OutreachPartnerships Share this page: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Email Carolyn MacDonald (on the left) and Paige Duncan (on the right) with some children at our after-school program, launching water rockets that we just built together. By Megan Meave Johnson Photo captions provided by Paige. All photos, credit to Paige Duncan. Click on a photo to see a larger version. NCSA affiliate Paige Duncan knows a thing or two about introducing young people to science. Paige leads the Illinois Science Explorers (ISci Explorers), a special program dedicated to bringing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) extracurricular programming to children in the Champaign-Urbana area. ISci Explorers targets children who don’t have ready access to STEM enrichment programs, bringing them to places where science work happens for hands-on learning in unique environments. Paige explains more about the work she does in her answers to our questions. Take it away, Paige! In this photo, I’m feeding house wren nestlings as part of my master’s thesis fieldwork. My thesis examined how Vitamin E and temperature can affect nestling growth and development. What is your title and team? I’m Paige Duncan, a Community Engagement Specialist leading the Illinois Science Explorers program. In this role, I collaborate with faculty and staff to transform research ideas and findings into educational activities, materials and curricula for children in the community. I foster partnerships with organizations like the Champaign Park District and Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club to provide engaging STEM learning experiences. My mission is to introduce young learners to the world of STEM and inspire them to pursue careers in this field. Most importantly, I want to share my excitement for science and help them develop a love for it, just as I did when I was young and passionate about biology, a passion that ultimately led me to where I am today. Tell us a little about the I-Sci Explorers. We brought I-Sci Explorers to the Urbana Market this summer! Here, I’m guiding market attendees through a science matching game, where they match fields like astronomy with images of someone using a telescope or meteorology with a scientist studying weather models. The I-Sci Explorers program provides sustained extracurricular programming in STEM for children in the Champaign-Urbana area who might not otherwise have access to STEM enrichment opportunities. Partnering with researchers, I-Sci Explorers transforms research ideas and discoveries into educational activities, materials and curricula tailored for children. As part of this initiative, Illinois works closely with the Champaign Park District’s Martens Center, a new state-of-the-art facility in north Champaign. The large majority of I-Sci Explorers programming is provided to K-5 children who attend the Don Moyers’ Boys & Girls Club afterschool program housed at the Martens Center. I’ve collaborated with Carolyn MacDonald, a psychology graduate student who is passionate about understanding children’s STEM learning and motivation. Together, we integrate her academic findings into the hands-on activities of the I-Sci Explorers program, creating programming that fosters children’s autonomy, belonging and growth mindsets in STEM fields. Our approach integrates cutting-edge research from education and psychology to support the development of children’s STEM curiosity, connection and confidence. We aim to help children from diverse backgrounds build confidence and connections in multiple STEM fields, laying the groundwork for future learning and success. This broad STEM programming is made possible through collaboration with interdisciplinary research institutes at the University of Illinois, including: Beckman Institute Cancer Center at Illinois Center for Social & Behavioral Science Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment National Center for Supercomputing Applications Do you have an inspiring story related to your work with the group? Our first semester leading programming at the Martens Center with K-5 students in an after-school program was both exciting and fun, but many of the kids were unsure about STEM and hesitant to participate. Was it scary? Was it too difficult? Did they even like STEM? After a few months of programming, where we spent time with each age group once a week from January to May, and again from September to mid-November, we saw their perspectives on STEM shift. It became something familiar and fun, science no longer felt so intimidating and more kids from the after-school program started showing interest in attending. It was incredibly rewarding to watch their views on science change as they engaged with it hands-on. What is your superpower? Our dogs Kaia (left) and Josie (right) usually love coming with us whenever we go hiking or running! I grew up playing lots of games with my family – my mom, dad and two older brothers. If it wasn’t a game, we’d make one up! This “skill” has turned out to be incredibly useful in my work. I believe that the best way for kids to learn and develop a positive attitude toward science is by making it fun. So, when I meet with a faculty member, researcher or staff member to create a new module for the kids, and they share their work with me, my mind starts working on how we can present it in a way that’s engaging, understandable, and enjoyable for them – ultimately shifting their perspective on science and their confidence in it. I’d say my superpower is the ability to make science fun and less intimidating, helping kids engage with STEM through games – and, most importantly, through fun! Here’s a picture of my family and me. My parents are on the right, and my brothers with their wives are on the left. What are a few items on your bucket list? I grew up on a lake in the country outside of Champaign, spending countless days catching fish, turtles and frogs, and exploring in the seaweed and mud. These experiences sparked my love for animals and my interest in biology. Because of this, one of the dreams on my bucket list for as long as I can remember is to visit Africa and go on a safari. I would be thrilled to have the chance to see such incredible wildlife up close! Tell us about a unique talent that you have. My husband Brody and I enjoy competing in local triathlons together. This one was in Springfield. Over the past few years, my husband and I have gotten into competing in local triathlons together. I was a swimmer in high school and enjoyed running in my free time, and while I biked for fun, I had never raced competitively. After our first triathlon, when I got a flat tire and ended up using a random person’s old cruiser bike – not exactly built for racing – we decided to invest in road bikes, and we’ve never looked back! We’ve really enjoyed the challenge and learning together.