The National Science Foundation (NSF) promotes girls' participation in informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. What has been the impact of these informal STEM experiences? This was the question of interest in the published study Cascading Influences: Long-Term Impacts of Informal STEM Experiences for Girls (Mar. 2013). A sample of 159 young women who recently participated in a STEM program were recruited to complete an online survey. Of these, only 27% felt that participation in the STEM program increased their interest in science.

1. Identify the population of interest to the researchers.

2. Identify the sample.

3. Use the information in the study to make an inference about the relevant population.