Collaborative Research: A Strategic Partnership for Geoscience Education and Research on Watershed Science and Climate Change in the Southwestern U.S.

University Of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM

Investigators

Abstract

A goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities of specific institutions of higher education that serve the Nation's indigenous students. Expanding the outreach, research, and STEM instructional capacity at these institutions expands the opportunities for students to pursue challenging, rewarding careers in STEM fields, provides for research studies in areas that may be locally relevant, and encourages a faculty community to look beyond the traditional classroom for intellectual and professional growth. This project aligns directly with that goal, and moreover will serve as a model for novel pathways to careers in the geosciences for students underrepresented in that field. The Partnerships in Geoscience Education (PAGE) collaborative between Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute and the University of New Mexico will implement a research and educational project that will enhance the instruction in geosciences at SIPI by developing culturally relevant curriculum modules, support student academic success through mentoring, increase the research capacity of SIPI and the engagement of its students in environmentally and tribally relevant research in riparian ecohydrology and watershed science.