Initiative to bring Science Programs to the Incarcerated (INSPIRE)

The UEPC served as the external evaluator for the  INSPIRE project run by the University of Utah Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME), in partnership with the Salt Lake County Metro Jail and the Utah Department of Corrections.

• The purpose of the evaluation is to document the impact of the project on offenders, corrections staff, and scientists, including:Offender participation in, and evaluation of, science lectures and projects.
  
  • Offender knowledge, self-concepts, and career interests in STEM.
  • Perceived accessibility and utility value of STEM.
  • Perceived value of conservation, ecology, and nature.
  • Increased feelings of community within the prison, and within the larger community.
  • Corrections staff perceived accessibility and utility value of STEM.
  • Scientists increased opportunities and attitudes toward public dissemination of research, especially to underserved populations.

 

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