Lighting the Pathway to Faculty Careers for Natives in STEM

American Indian Science And Engineering Society (Aises), Albuquerque NM

Investigators

Abstract

This award to the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) is aimed at increasing the number of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students who persist in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The long term goal is to increase the number of AI/AN individuals who pursue faculty positions in STEM disciplines at US colleges and universities. The dearth of STEM faculty from the AI/AN group has been a long-standing national problem. Many public and private entities have made investments to improve the representation of Natives in STEM fields -- including in faculty positions -- and these investments have not made much of a difference in the percentage of students persisting in STEM among AI/AN. This project, Lighting the Pathway to Faculty Careers for Natives in STEM, will implement a 5-year pilot program at the national level, using the extensive network of individuals who are engaged in AISES national efforts or its 184 college student chapters. To continue to maintain US competiveness in the global economy, the country must utilize all of its talents in order to advance scientific knowledge and technological innovation. This project will help achieve that. Through the AISES national network, this project will recruit students majoring in the biological sciences, mathematical and physical sciences, geosciences, computer and information science, and engineering -- at all academic levels (undergrad, graduate and postdoc). Over the course of 5 years, it is expected that an average of 35 students will participate in the program each year. The students will be provided a strong and persistent support and mentoring system so that they can overcome barriers to the completion of their STEM degrees. Students will be provided information relevant to success in a STEM career, research experience, leadership training, role models, and other tools to help them advance to the next academic level. Frequent face-to-face and virtual meetings will expose participants to topics such as balancing life and career, effective study habits, overcoming geographic and cultural isolation, graduate school and career preparation, strategies for success as a STEM major, and writing successful graduate fellowship applications. The network of Native scholars ranging from undergraduates to senior faculty will create a supportive environment conducive to continued success in the students' pursuit of a STEM career. Participants will attend the AISES National Conference to foster strong professional and personal ties with their peers, and a conference in their chosen STEM field in order to present the results of their research. An external evaluation will assess the impact of the program on student persistence in STEM before, during, and after students' participation. These findings will serve as a guide for future, expanded-scale projects and will also inform application to other underrepresented groups. This project is supported by the Directorates for Biological Sciences (BIO), Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS), Engineering (ENG), Education (EHR), Geosciences (GEO), and Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), and the Office of International and Integrative Activities (OIIA).