  We present NetSci High, our NSF-funded educational outreach program that
connects high school students who are underrepresented in STEM (Science
Technology Engineering and Mathematics), and their teachers, with regional
university research labs and provides them with the opportunity to work with
researchers and graduate students on team-based, year-long network science
research projects, culminating in a formal presentation at a network science
conference. This short paper reports the content and materials that we have
developed to date, including lesson plans and tools for introducing high school
students and teachers to network science; empirical evaluation data on the
effect of participation on students' motivation and interest in pursuing STEM
careers; the application of professional development materials for teachers
that are intended to encourage them to use network science concepts in their
lesson plans and curriculum; promoting district-level interest and engagement;
best practices gained from our experiences; and the future goals for this
project and its subsequent outgrowth.
