Through the Sediment, Ice, & Learning on the Tanana (SILT) project, a team of university scientists engaged two middle school student groups in testing innovative environmental research technologies to measure sediment flowing underneath river ice. The culturally responsive, place-based pilot program tests these technologies as a strategy to increase students’ science interest and science self-efficacy. Over a series of three workshops, 39 students built and deployed low-cost turbidity sensors to measure sediment flowing underneath river ice and designed model payload attachment systems to attach the sensors to drones for measuring sediment fluxes during spring river ice breakup. Students’ changes in science interest and self-efficacy were measured using both a true pre- and post-program survey and a retrospective pre-program survey.