Gaalee'ya STEM Project

University Of Alaska Fairbanks Campus, Fairbanks AK

Investigators

Abstract

Global climate changes are affecting subarctic and arctic ecosystems and peoples more significantly than anywhere else on the globe. Rural Alaska Natives who subsist in these ecosystems naturally have close ties to the land and are deeply involved in science-based research and land management through tribal organizations, governmental, and research- oriented institutions. To date, rural Alaska Natives have had limited access to quality STEM education addressing their unique cultural and geographic needs and have, therefore, not been engaged in helping to find solutions to these complex ecological issues. We sorely need their input in this day of rapid change. The underlying philosophy behind the Interior-Aleutians (IAC) and Chukchi Campus (CC) Gaalee?ya project is that integrating culture and place into all aspects of their academic STEM experience will support the engagement, capacity, and continuity (Jolly et al. 2004) of rural Alaska Native STEM students. The Gaalee?ya STEM project will build a rigorous and culturally relevant STEM program through the Associate?s level for students in the IAC and CC regions. Gaalee?ya STEM will incorporate cultural values and perspectives and local interests in ecosystem changes with scientific coursework, research, and analysis from a Western academic perspective while allowing students to take courses by distance so that they may remain in their home communities. Mathematics and science courses, which are delivered primarily via audio- conference to rural students, will be enhanced through this project with culturally responsive pedagogies, face-to-face learning intensives, academic tutoring, and increased contact with STEM faculty. Students will also gain research experience through projects designed around the theme of ?ecology of place? to engage, educate, and retain rural Alaska Native students in STEM degrees. Elders and STEM faculty will work together to support the students using an integrative approach. Program objectives are built around gains in student participation, persistence, grade point averages and graduations of rural Alaska Native students with a replicable model for reaching underserved populations as a primary goal of evaluation.