As part of a lecture series co-sponsored by the FACS department of human development and family science and the Society for Research in Child Development, FACS faculty member Emilie Smith will present a talk entitled "Preparing racial-ethnic minority children for STEM opportunities: Promoting identity and efficacy in community afterschool programs."

Smith uses mixed methods (observation, surveys, focus groups) to examine the role of community-based afterschool settings in terms of supporting children and families through the prevention of problem behavior and the promotion of positive youth development. Smith is currently serving as scholar-in-residence with the Society for Research in Child Development in Washington, D.C.