# Expressive STEM Centers in Central Texas: A Research Collective Learning to Empower Community Imagination and Creative Confidence

> **NSF 04002526DB NSF STEM Education** · Texas State University - San Marcos (TX) · $1,894,664

## Abstract

The Expressive STEM Centers (ESC) project creates family-driven learning networks that honor shared knowledge and experience while building confidence with technology and science. Located in San Marcos, Texas, this project transforms how informal STEM learning happens by positioning libraries and community centers as hubs for intergenerational innovation. Rather than treating STEM as separate from daily life, the ESC project uses a material inquiry approach where families explore robotics, coding, circuits, and environmental science by connecting powerful tools to heritage stories and real-world challenges. This project advances understanding of how imagination and creative confidence develop through hands-on learning, testing whether family-based STEM experiences can create lasting changes in how communities envision their futures. By demonstrating that meaningful STEM learning emerges when family communities control the design process and when materials become collaborative partners rather than passive tools, this research project provides a model for accessible STEM education that builds on family and community strengths and assets, supporting NSF's mission to advance both scientific knowledge and broaden participation in the scientific enterprise.

The ESC Research Collective employs Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology integrated with material inquiry approaches to investigate how expressive STEM learning generates imagination and creative confidence across

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2517055
- **Awardee organization:** Texas State University - San Marcos (TX)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** HS5HWWK1AAU5
- **PI:** Sean Justice
- **Primary program:** 04002526DB NSF STEM Education
- **All programs:** Broaden Particip STEM Resrch
- **Estimated total:** $1,894,664
- **Funds obligated:** $1,894,664
- **Transaction type:** Standard Grant
- **Period:** 09/15/2025 → 08/31/2028

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2517055

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2517055, Expressive STEM Centers in Central Texas: A Research Collective Learning to Empower Community Imagination and Creative Confidence. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-08 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2517055. Licensed CC0.

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