P.A.C.K.ing for the future with MESA and NOAA

Pathway for Academic and Career Knowledge

*Sponsored by MESA and NOAA

About Us

The P.A.C.K. project collaborated with Seattle MESA (Math, Engineering, Science Achievement) and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to create a web app (client, server, and data framework) that sparks an interest in STEM for secondary students and helps them navigate pathways to pursue STEM majors and careers. The app features a survey to explore students' interests, a major directory showcasing STEM majors at the University of Washington, a career directory highlighting core skills and knowledge, and an opportunities directory for internships and scholarships. Its goal is to support underrepresented students and foster a diverse STEM workforce.

Breaking Bird

Our Sponsors

MESA

Seattle MESA helps K-12 students excel in math and science, and become competitively eligible for the nation's most rigorous colleges and universities. Seattle MESA partners with teachers, administrators, school district officials, and industry representatives to provide this academic enrichment model. Students are selected to participate in Seattle MESA through a process that involves teachers at participating schools and MESA personnel.

NOAA EDUCATION

NOAA Education keeps people informed and engaged in our planet’s dynamic environment, from space weather to fish migration patterns. We provide education resources, educator and student opportunities, and competitive funding for education projects.

Key Features

Interest Survey

The survey gather information about the students' interests in the 6 STEM fields as set by the University of Washington (Biological and Environmental Science, Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Health Sciences, and Physical Science).

Majors

The majors directory is created using content from the University of Washington (UW) API and catalog. This directory sorts each major into the related STEM bucks and provide a description of each major and the required courses to pursue that major.

Careers

The content is created from the Department of Labor Statistics. This directory will include descriptions of each career, as well as the top 5 core skills, required knowledge, and related activities associated with each career.

STEM Opportunities

The page houses resources from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program are compiled to help students pursue their interests in STEM fields.

Who We Are

Project Status

As part of the University of Washington Information School Capstone project for Winter/Spring 2023, our team, the Husky Career Explorers, consisted of five Informatics students. We had the privilege of partnering with Seattle MESA and NOAA for this endeavor, which spanned 20 weeks of intense research, prototype testing, and development. After dedicating significant time and effort, we are excited to report that we have successfully achieved our goals. The web app and service we developed will provide a valuable platform for students to explore and further their interests in STEM, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive and diverse field.We are now in the process of handing off our work to our sponsor. However, we are thrilled to share that the sponsors have expressed their intention to continue the project with future capstone groups. To ensure a smooth transition, our team will remain involved to provide assistance and support during this handover phase. Undertaking this Capstone project has been a rewarding and fulfilling experience for all of us. We are proud of the impact our work will have in helping underrepresented students pursue STEM education and careers. It has been a privilege to work alongside Seattle MESA and NOAA, and we are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to their missions.

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