TRACK 1 Collaborative Project: "Embracing Science - From the 'Field to the Fair'"

Oglala Lakota College, Kyle SD

Investigators

Abstract

"Field to the Fair" is a collaboration between Oglala Lakota College (OLC) and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T) to establish and strengthen the geosciences learning path for middle and high school Native American students. Fifteen Native Americans from the Pine Ridge Reservation, fifteen Native Americans from the Rapid City area, and science teachers from both locations participate in a common field-camp experience designed to expose them to a variety of research and career opportunities in Earth and atmospheric sciences and to trigger their interest in the same. An adjunct goal is to increase community awareness about the need to encourage Native American youth to plan for their careers and education. The camp experience leads into the development of a science fair project. Throughout the school year following the summer field camp, the 30 Native American participants are mentored by undergraduate and graduate students from OLC and SDSM&T as they prepare for the Pine Ridge Science Fair and High Plains Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Projects are presented at the Lakota Nation Invitational in December to reach a broader audience of Native Americans. The expected outcomes include: 1) Educate American Indian students and members of their extended families about the available opportunities for Native American students on the OLC and SDSM&T campuses through summer-camp, followed by the preparation of science fair projects; 2) Solidify and sustain mentoring experiences for the Native American students on the SDSM&T and OLC campuses in the preparation of the science fair projects; 3) Create for South Dakota a replicable model for collaboration between local school districts and higher education for the purpose of fielding teams of mentors to serve middle/high school students; 4) Engage participants in learning and using the Lakota language in their science projects, to enhance their understanding of traditional knowledge of the Earth and environment; and 5) Improve access for American Indians to the geosciences by connecting research to the immediate and tangible world.