FAQ

Network science is an approach to answering difficult questions in many fields, such as social science, economics, biology, mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, primatology, neuroscience, genetics, virology, and more. It is the study of connections that are often complex and hard to see. Network science offers expanding career possibilities and sparks discoveries that advance health interventions.

Network science makes visible the often hidden connections that shape health on many levels (e.g., cellular, organ systems, people, institutions, communities, chemicals). Sociological network science can reveal human network structures that differentially advantage some and disadvantage other members of society, illuminating social forces that shape opportunities for health intervention.

During the years of the Worlds of Connections Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA; 2018–2024), broad application and formalization of network science was fairly recent and was not explicitly part of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS; 2017), but network science could be a useful tool for engaging with NGSS Crosscutting Concept 4. Systems and system models. Further, network science does fit the NGSS guiding principle that "K–12 science education should reflect the interconnected nature of science as it is practiced and experienced in the real world." This "real-world" grounding had high potential to spark youth interest in science-related careers, yet information about network science and related health careers was not yet incorporated in most pre-college science opportunities. Worlds of Connections supported partnerships between network scientists and educators to develop and implement more opportunities for youth to explore network science approaches to health before entering college.

The idea of Worlds of Connections was that many youths would enjoy careers in network science, but few get a chance to find out about them. We used two approaches to exposing youth to network science and engaging the basic ideas. We began with fun after-school activities in 21st Century Community Learning Center clubs. Through a partnership with the University of Nebraska at Omaha college student organization NE STEM 4U, we offered out-of-school clubs in both Lincoln and Omaha that had some biology and some network science activities each week. Learning from these in-person clubs, we worked with the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln to create an extended reality experience, MuMu: Worlds of Connections, to engage youth with Network Science for health. The emerging media will be free to download from the Meta Horizon store.

Yes, teachers on the advisory board participated in the 2019 Network Science Institute and annual Science Connectors at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln as part of professional development meetings. We sought teacher input in other ways as well, for example through surveys, summer professional development opportunities, and focus groups.

Worlds of Connections had an excellent learning research and evaluation team that assessed all aspects of the project. In addition to experienced researchers, the project partnered with the Lincoln Public Schools District Office to figure out the required and optional science classes that youth take in high school, and if the patterns of science course-taking differ based upon the middle school that youth attended. We aimed to study if youth in the schools with network science-focused clubs were any more likely to take optional science classes than youth in schools without network science opportunities. The learning researchers also used observations and surveys to assess the clubs and emerging media.

The Worlds of Viruses and Biology of Human comic book apps and books were funded by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA). The Worlds of Connections project built on prior informal science learning expertise of team members at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Worlds of Connections continued the successful partnerships with 21st Century Community Learning Centers, still focusing on middle-school youth, starting with after-school activities before creating stories using emerging media, with a strong research component to the project. Judy Diamond, Principal Investigator on the previous SEPA projects, coordinated the Science Connectors from 2018–2020 and was an important advisor on the Worlds of Connections SEPA.

During the life of the project (2018–2024), Worlds of Connections collaborated with University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) network scientists, many with National Institutes of Health funding, who use network science for health research. During their time at UNL, former Worlds of Connections co-investigators Bilal Khan (formerly UNL Computer Science and Sociology) and Kirk Dombrowski (formerly UNL Sociology) used network science to study opioid addiction and the spread of HIV, alcohol addiction, and suicide. Our project was fortunate to benefit from the expertise and guidance of network scientists from many fields, including G. Robin Gauthier (formerly UNL Sociology), Eileen Hebets (UNL Biological Sciences), Daizaburo Shizuka (UNL Biological Sciences), Jeffrey Smith (formerly UNL Sociology), and Wendy Smith (UNL Center for Science, Mathematics, and Computer Education). We are also grateful to the vast range of perspectives offered by college students, creative emerging media arts storytellers, evaluators, and 6–8th-grade teachers and curriculum experts to develop high-quality informal activities and media resources.

See our Specific Aims.

The goal of the Worlds of Connections project was to create media resources that would overcome barriers to network science uptake among underserved minority 6–8th grade youth. The project designed learning activities (see Publications & Resources) and a standalone media resource (MuMu: Worlds of Connections) that incite interest in network science approaches to biomedical and public health research. The project aimed to test a central hypothesis: the technology-rich and relevant field of network science will attract segments of today’s youth who remain uninterested in conventional, bio-centric health fields to careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Early adolescence is a critical time for identity development, career aspiration creation, and declines in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics identities. The activities and stories that network science studies are often central to the lives of middle-school-aged youth (e.g. popularity, self concept, cliques, dissemination of information, and health). The focal issues that the project’s network scientists' studied and that are part of our activities—including infectious disease spread, community support networks, and health disparities—existed in the communities of the high-poverty schools in Lincoln and Omaha that were central to this project. By focusing on relevant health issues in the lives of the youth who participated, we hoped to increase the potential for network science to bridge career gaps for underserved youth.

Our project began in July 2018 and ended in November 2024.