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The University of Montana's Research Education on Air and Cardiovascular Health (REACH) Program works with teachers to engage high school juniors and seniors in rudimentary real-world scientific research with the goals of improving their understanding of and interest in science, and to increase their interest in science careers. To evaluate the program, mixed-method approaches based on surveys that include both fixed-response and free-response questions for students has been used. Thematic analysis of student written responses to free-response questions provided evaluators with unanticipated student-centered information that was not targeted by the fixed-response questions. The analysis of student responses to free-response questions over a three to four-year period are the focus of this manuscript along with the implications such a STEM outreach program has to environmental and science education.

The United Nations has identified the COVID-19 pandemic as the largest global disruption of education in history. Collaborative and hands-on learning activities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics were particularly challenging to maintain during this period. Future large-scale disruptions of schools are considered likely, leading to questions about how educators can be better prepared. Since 2019, the REACH program has worked with schools in Montana, Idaho, Alaska, and Hawaii to educate students about air quality and health. The program also provides a framework and support for teachers to incorporate rudimentary student-led scientific field research in middle and high school science courses. Through student and teacher surveys, we inquired about how the pandemic affected program experiences during the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 school years. Responses from 416 students and 31 teachers showed both difficulties and adaptive capacity in implementing the REACH program during COVID-19-related restrictions. It is encouraging to appreciate the resilience of students and teachers as they adapted to emergency remote teaching and learning strategies. However, the extent and the specific kinds of difficulties they encountered may inform efforts to help schools and teachers become better prepared for potential future events that may disrupt in-classroom learning.

In today's science classes, where standards are shifting toward engaging in scientific practices, a shift in science assessments to better reflect the skills and knowledge achieved in modern science classrooms is needed. If science is a discipline to be practiced rather than memorized, then science assessments should be designed to gauge a student's progress toward employing better science practices. A substantive alternative assessment in science--one that provides authentic and meaningful feedback to students as they do science--is the science symposium. The University of Montana's Research Education on Air and Cardiovascular Health (REACH) program provides opportunities for high school students to conduct student-designed science research projects (Delaloye et al. 2016; Delaloye et al. 2018; Ward et al. 2016). The culminating event of this yearlong REACH program is the Environmental Health Science Symposium. This year's 18th annual symposium will bring together high school students from Montana, Idaho, and Alaska to present their research findings and engage with their peers, University faculty and staff, and a panel of judges--just as research scientists would do. The science symposium provides students with experience in science communication and an alternative assessment providing meaningful, timely, and relevant feedback to students and their teachers. In this article, the authors present findings from student survey data and teacher interviews regarding their experiences with the REACH symposia.