Informal Engineering education: Lessons learned from the NASA´s BEST students project

The NASA´s BEST (Beginning Engineering, Science, and Technology) Students project was designed to introduce students to principles of engineering through hands-on, inquiry- and project-based lessons conducted within the framework of the Engineering Design Process. The NASA´s BEST curricula have been implemented in numerous informal education settings across the United States and, more recently, internationally at the Abu Dhabi Science Festival in the United Arab Emirates. Here we explore the logistical, preparatory, and management efforts necessary to provide such educational opportunities to young learners, identify challenges to broad-scale implementation of informal STEM education programs, and examine the potential benefits to using such programs to help build strong STEM literacy skills and practices. Examples are provided of NASA´s BEST content being incorporated into informal STEM education programs in the United States, and a larger-scale implementation at the 2013 Abu Dhabi Science Festival.