From Mountain to Sea: Creating a Culturally-Relevant, Multi-Faceted Summer Science Program to Facilitate a Community of Learners at the Salish Sea Research Center

Northwest Indian College, Bellingham WA

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the education and research capacities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at institutions of higher education that serve the nation's Indigenous students. TCUP's funding of projects that address these goals expands opportunities for Native people to pursue challenging degrees and rewarding careers in STEM, to conduct research studies on culturally significant topics, and fosters generational appreciation for STEM education. In alignment with TCUP's goals, Northwest Indian College's (NWIC) project "From Mountain to Sea: A Culturally Relevant Summer Science Program at the Salish Sea Research Center (SSRC)" engages undergraduate students with research and faculty mentors in community-relevant scientific research related to water quality for the waters surrounding the Lummi Reservation in northwestern Washington state, and its impacts on food sovereignty. The project links academic-year STEM curricula from NWIC's Bachelor of Native Environmental Science degree (BSNES) with culturally relevant research at the SSRC, developing students' expertise and confidence as researchers, while generating knowledge important to the local community and broader society about harmful algae blooms (HABs). Participation in the project prepares students for service in natural resources leadership roles and/or to pursue a STEM graduate degree. Research findings will be widely disseminated to community stakeholders and to the professional community through presentations at conferences and publications. An institutional outcome of this project will be the development of a sustainable program that engages Indigenous knowledge and scientific learning, while supporting students in earning a BSNES degree at NWIC. Harmful algae blooms (HABs) are a concern for the Coast Salish People due to the effects of HABs on water quality and shellfish, a culturally important food source for many American Indian tribes living in the Pacific northwest. Anthropogenic nutrients from industry and agriculture, coupled with climate change effects like rising temperatures and recurrent drought events, increase the likelihood for longer duration and more frequent HABs. The Natural Resources Department of the Lummi Nation and the Salish Sea Research Center of Northwest Indian College are actively partnered in studies of HABs, which can cause serious public health and economic issues when HAB toxins rise to dangerous levels in shellfish. This project engages NWIC undergraduate students in the research partnership as summer interns conducting culturally-relevant studies of HABs in the waters surrounding the Lummi Nation. Student interns will disseminate their findings through publications and presentations in community and professional forums. Participation in the project prepares NWIC's STEM students to enter environmental science professions and/or matriculation to graduate school in environmental STEM disciplines. On an institutional level, the project builds NWIC's research capacity at the land-sea interface and improves the cultural congruence of its STEM curriculum to better serve its students. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.