Dr. Tyler-wood serves as the principal investigator for  Bringing Up Girls in Science (BUGS). BUGS is a demonstration project in the Department of Technology and Cognition at the University of North Texas (UNT). The goal of this project is to provide educational experiences in an outdoor learning lab for girls in grades four and five that will increase girls™ interest, participation, self-concept, knowledge, and achievement in the environmental sciences. During Year One, thirty 4 th and 5 th grade girls (BUGS participants) will participate in an after school outdoor science lab at Sam Houston Elementary in the Denton Independent School District in Denton, TX. 

Participants for the project will be recruited from across the district. BUGS participants will be mentored by female high students enrolled in the Texas Academy for Mathematics and Science (TAMS). TAMS provides an opportunity for talented students in mathematics and science to complete the first two years of college while earning a high school diploma. Each TAMS student will be matched with a BUGS participant. TAMS students will also serve as instructional aides for the outdoor lab. The TAMS students will assist the BUGS participants in developing a science fair project and a hands-on demonstration of a concept learned in the lab that will be presented to parents and future BUGS participants. An adult mentor from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) will serve as a mentor for both the TAMS student and BUGS participant. The AAUW mentor will provide information on career and educational opportunities in science. A two-week summer experience at the University of North Texas™ Environmental Education Center, Elm Fork, will be provided for the academic year participants. TAMS students will serve as educational aides while graduate students in environmental science provide instruction. BUGS participants and mentors will be joined the second and third year of the project by girls in special populations at distance sites through the use of two-way audio-visual desktop conferencing tools, a project WEB site, chat rooms, and computer "pen-pals." For the second and third year special populations joining the project will include: (1) students with emotional and behavioral problems attending Rose Street Day Program and Therapeutic School in Wichita Falls, TX; (2) a school district which serves large numbers of Hispanic and Native American students in Bernalillo, New Mexico; and (3) students from a rural school district in Decatur, Texas. BUGS participants at distance sites will be able to use "electronic field trips" developed from activities that were videotaped during Year One to increase their opportunities to participate in the "outdoor science lab experience."

The third year of the project extends implementing change for the future with an additional group, pre-service teachers at the university level. During a certification required three hour course on teaching diverse students, pre- service teachers will receive instruction on effective instructional strategies for including girls into science. This instruction will be supported by a CD depicting effective practices for including girls in science activities. The CD will cover research-based findings as well as provide real life examples of effective inclusion strategies. Pre-service teachers will have the opportunity to observe and participate in the outdoor learning laboratory. Family involvement will be ongoing throughout the project. Career awareness and educational opportunities materials will be housed by a local public library for the parents of BUGS participants. Three parent meetings per year will be provided to "showcase" student work and provide educational and career information.

The Elm Fork Education Center, the public education branch of UNT's Environmental Programs, will develop environmental science learning kits for the project. These learning kits will be enhanced by technology expertise from the Texas Center for Educational Technology (TCET). TCET will assist with the development and dissemination of technology environmental learning kits throughout the United States. In addition, kits will be available in Spanish to accommodate bilingual students. TCET has the facilities to distribute learning kits internationally impacting girls not just in the United States, but also girls in Spanish speaking countries. The project intends to measure changes in science achievement, environmental awareness, attitudes towards science and academic self-esteem. Though collection and analysis of the project data, the effectiveness of mentoring combined with environmental education grounded in effective teaching practices for gender equity will be determined. National dissemination of learning materials developed by the project will provide electronic fieldtrips in environmental sciences for diverse and/or special needs populations. The results of this project will be incorporated by the University of North Texas into the pre-service teacher education program.