Building our Net: Fostering Resilient Indigenous Scientists and Increasing Undergraduate Retention in the STEM Field through Scholarships and Mentoring

Northwest Indian College, Bellingham WA

Investigators

Abstract

This project focuses on students at Northwest Indian College (NWIC) who are pursuing the degree of Bachelor of Science in Native Environmental Science (BSNES). The vast majority of NWIC students are Indigenous (American Indian or Alaskan Native). The goal of the project is to increase the recruitment, retention, student success, and graduation of low-income academically-talented NWIC students with demonstrated financial need who are pursing baccalaureate degrees in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). To retain these students in STEM, the project supports reduction of students' financial barriers through scholarships, including academic support and community building for the entire BSNES population, and provides incentives for behaviors known to increase retention. Through these efforts, the project will increase the number of American Indians and Alaska Natives entering the field of Environmental Science and continuing to graduate school or entering the workforce. The college and academic program are well-positioned to support Indigenous students majoring in Native Environmental Science because the college's mission and the program's design directly support advancing Native American education. The Native Environmental Science program has a strong record of supporting and graduating Indigenous students who are STEM majors. The project focuses on recruitment of new Indigenous students who will major in STEM through a Student Ambassador program and the use of digital storytelling, where scholars share their research and goals with neighboring high school students at the tribal school. An innovative evaluation methodology based on the Indigenous Evaluation Framework will also contribute to an understanding of how to frame and assess education of Indigenous students. The project will disseminate findings to tribal colleges and other minority-serving institutions through academic papers, conference presentations, and development of a manual highlighting recruitment, retention, curricular and extra-curricular practices that best support Indigenous students as scientists and scholars. The project is in a position to generate significant and useful data about Indigenous students pursuing STEM degrees, a population that is not often studied and is critically underrepresented in STEM.