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Equipping High School Students with Quantitative Skills in Paleobiology: Insights from Stanford Young Investigators

Session: Quantitative and Data Analysis Skills in Geoscience Education: Supporting Student, Course, and Program Outcomes, Part II

Presenting Author:

Mark Nikolic

Authors:

Nikolic, Mark C.¹, Teamey, Paige², Payne, Jonathan L.³

(1) Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA, (2) Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA, (3) Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA,

Abstract:

Stanford Young Investigators (SYI) is an eight-week summer internship program designed to provide high school students in the San Francisco Bay Area, California the opportunity to work in research groups and laboratories within the Doerr School of Sustainability at Stanford University. The program directly involves high school students in active research projects in the fields of sustainability, earth, and environmental sciences, providing them a diversified set of skills and experiences to prepare them for higher education. The History of Life and Biodiversity (HLB) group is an intensive research and learning experience within the SYI program that combines classroom learning, field trips and experiences, along with authentic scientific research. Building on the work and experience of past supervisors of this program, I supervised a diverse group of 15 interns in the HLB program this summer of 2025. We focused on Earth history and the interaction of Earth, geological and biological systems on marine animal evolution and extinction. Students entered the program with varying levels of exposure to and experience with quantitative methods and data analysis, but none had ever worked with quantitative data in the geosciences. Throughout the program interns collected and analysed different types of data from fossil marine animals, such as linear measurements, stratigraphic age information, taxonomic diversity, occurrence and abundance data. Through the program, interns developed familiarity with contributing to, managing and analysing large datasets to test hypotheses and answer questions about the history of life and biodiversity on Earth. At the end of the program, I conducted surveys and interviews of volunteering students to gain insight and better understand their experience and whether they feel better prepared for utilising quantitative methods in college. Here, I share the results of the surveys and interviews and discuss the main/common themes and insights gained, as well as my own reflections on what proved especially effective. In doing so, I hope to contribute to the discussion on how best to support quantative and data analysis skills for students of the geosciences.