A Workshop on Mitochondria for Students to Improve Understanding of Science and Hypothesis Forming

There remains a clear deficiency in recruiting middle school students in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) fields, especially for those students entering physiology from underrepresented backgrounds. A large part of this may be arising from a disconnect between how science is typically practiced at a collegiate and K-12 level. Here, we have envisioned mitochondria and their diverse subcellular structures as an involver for middle school, high school, and undergraduate students. We present the framework for a workshop that familiarizes students with mitochondria, employing 3D visual-spatial learning and real-time critical thinking and hypothesis forming. This workshop had the goal of familiarizing middle school students with the unique challenges the field currently faces, and better understanding the actuality of being a scientist through critical analysis including hypothesis forming. Findings show that as tested with middle school students responded positively to the program and felt as though they had a better understanding of mitochondria. Future implications for hands-on programs to involve underrepresented students in science are discussed.