2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This research to practice study examines how a group of diverse refugee background youth participated in cosmic ray research during a one-week STEM summer camp. Refugee background youth are often marginalized in STEM education due to the cultural, linguistic, socioeconomic, and structural barriers that limit their access to enriching science learning opportunities. These barriers can result in exclusion from science pathways and limited development of science identity during formative educational years. Pre-college STEM enrichment programs, particularly those offering hands-on experiential STEM learning, can provide a critical context for expanding refugee youths' access to STEM. Grounded in identity work, which conceptualizes learning and identity as processes shaped through participation in social practice, we explored how students’ reflections reveal interests, emerging identities, and aspirations in science. Data sources include semi-structured interviews with eleven multilingual youth (identified as Iraqi, Congolese, Nepali, Ethiopian, and Latinx), field notes from participant observation, and photographs of camp activities. Reflective thematic analysis revealed that students actively developed and expressed both disciplinary (Physics) and non-disciplinary competencies. The summer camp experience supported their existing interest in STEM careers, strengthened their STEM confidence, and enhanced their experience via staff and peer interactions. These findings offer insight into how pre-college programs can create inclusive, STEM identity-affirming spaces for refugee and immigrant youth. This research contributes to the growing body of work on equity-focused K–12 STEM education for refugee-background youth. It offers practical implications for designing STEM enrichment programs that promote access and engagement among refugee and immigrant youth in STEM.