Amy Sprowles, Ph.D., will share how programming that incorporates empathy and equity matters and can empower students from diverse backgrounds to achieve their educational goals. Grounding education in the cultural, civic, scientific and/or environmental dimensions of a specific place can enhance student engagement, learning, and personal development to result in the confidence required to pursue a career in their field of interest. This webinar will discuss evolution of place-based education and review our study that demonstrates how place-based STEM activity designed in collaboration with the communities of our university's service area can result in improved intellectual growth, psychosocial factors associated with STEM retention, and academic achievement. Participants will engage in an activity to assist them in designing their own place-based curricula.