Teen birdwatchers turn research into performance art

A group of 11 high school students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) spent their summer observing birds interacting with the environment through the guided arts and sciences approach of the Side by Side project.

The outreach project was created by Beth Osnes, associate professor in theatre, and Rebecca Safran, associate professor in ecology and evolutionary biology, for underserved female-identifying or nonbinary students. Osnes and Safran hope that educating and empowering these students in STEM fields and in the arts will diversify approaches, perspectives and solutions to environmental challenges.

The youth partnered with scientists, artists and CU Boulder graduate students who guided them through observations of the natural world. Journal notes and sketches from their time spent in the field were developed into a script for a public performance.