Social Policy Focus: Q&A with the L.I.F.T. Lab team

The L.I.F.T Lab is a unique interdisciplinary partnership between the Duke Sanford Center for Child and Family Policy and the Pratt School of Engineering. The lab is focused on innovation in STEM education. For Duke Sanford’s month-long focus on social policy, we asked six questions of Karis Boyd-Sinkler, Ph.D; Shaundra Daily, Ph.D; Whitney McCoy Hudson, Ph.D; and Sandra Roach from the L.I.F.T. Lab team. 

How did L.I.F.T. Lab begin and what is its core research mission?

L.I.F.T., which stands for Learning Innovations and Future Technologies, began in 2022 with a mission rooted in three interconnected pillars: creating, implementing, and studying innovations in STEM education. 

The lab collaboratively develops pedagogies, technologies, and programs designed to support all learners. These efforts include multilayered mentoring models and creative computing workshops that blend art with engineering.  

Next, the lab partners with schools, community organizations, families, and students to bring these innovations into real-world settings. 

Finally, we rigorously evaluate their impact -- using both quantitative and qualitative methods-- to understand how they shape STEM identity development, belonging, and persistence. 

At its core, the lab operates on the belief that technology fields should reflect the full creativity and potential of all communities, working through this continuous cycle of development, implementation, and study to build evidence-based pathways that transform not only individual learners but entire systems.

Can you share an example of how the lab engages youth with STEM?

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Our TechArts and Crafts program provides meaningful opportunities to blend computing and engineering with creativity. By using music, fashion, and design workshops, we introduce STEM concepts through creative design and hands-on making. These scaffolded workshops, hosted in community spaces and schools, support different skill levels.  

We have engaged over 2,000 participants from the ages of 6 to 45 across North Carolina and in other states through partnerships with trusted organizations. We utilize the expertise of students, faculty, and researchers who have backgrounds in electrical engineering, computer science, biology, and mathematics. 

Why an interdisciplinary partnership?

Solutions to complex problems require collaboration. Our interdisciplinary partnership across the Duke Sanford’s Center for Child and Family Policy and the Pratt School of Engineering allows us to access and synthesize the latest evidence-based research from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and then translate it into practice-based educational opportunities. 

Our vast academic perspectives allow us to challenge traditional approaches to research and innovation.  

Our collective, interdisciplinary insights into how to employ the research allow us to create experiences that reflect students’ lived experiences and expand access to meaningful STEM education for all students.

How do you approach the intersection of AI, education equity, and youth civic engagement?

On the AI and education front, the lab leads educational and workforce development activities for the Athena AI Institute, preparing students in grades 3–12 by introducing them to essential concepts in electronics, computer science, and programming through age-appropriate, interactive workshops. 

The D-Coding Computing campaign further democratizes AI literacy by producing animated videos that tackle real barriers — like name pronunciation and unequal internet access — using a problem-solution format designed specifically for K–16 (through college) educators and students.

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Expanding access is central to every initiative. Programs like Inspiring Minds Summer Camps, Durham Public Schools Intercession Camps, and TechArts and Crafts workshops use multilayered mentoring — where faculty, undergraduates, and community members serve as role models — to build authentic STEM identity and belonging, for all students, particularly those that have limited access and opportunities. 

The Bass Connections course and DukeEngage program extend this model into higher education, creating meaningful bridges between Duke students and Durham communities.

For civic engagement, the lab participates in policy conversations through Congressional AI Roundtables, the CBC Annual Leadership Conference, the NAACP Youth Conference, and the Duets Podcast. With community partners spanning nine states, the lab treats youth and families as co-creators rather than passive recipients.

How do you assess impact?

Our work can be measured in at least three ways: producing academic research papers, providing insights for other educational institutions about how to co-create learning experiences with communities, and creating measurable change in student engagement in STEM.  

We assess our impact through mixed-methods evaluation that provides insight on research and our STEM and engagement programming means for communities. 

We evaluate how participation shapes STEM competence, confidence, and identity, as well as how mentorship and caregiver engagement support sustained interest in STEM pathways. 

We use validated surveys (these types of surveys are proven to measure a certain outcome and are more reliable), focus groups, and observations of interactions and creative designs to track changes and intent to persist in STEM studies. This is the core of our research.  

And, through our Duke undergraduate course that has been funded through the Lord Foundation, Bass Connections, and Duke Service Learning, we translate these findings into policy briefs and practitioner resources to support learning experiences that can effectively engage students.

How do you hope L.I.F.T. Lab contributes to conversations at Duke and beyond? 

Reimagining community-engaged research as a genuine partnership is central to our work. Too often research is done on communities rather than with them. In our work, families, educators, students, and researchers co-create learning experiences, which helps ensure the work is meaningful and sustainable. 

More broadly, we hope this work encourages institutions to rethink how universities engage with communities. When universities build strong partnerships with schools and local organizations, research and education can work together to create pathways for more students to explore and persist. 

Ultimately, we hope people walk away recognizing that expanding opportunities in STEM requires both innovative learning experiences and sustained collaboration between universities, schools, and communities.