Planning: Pathways to Transforming Arctic Science Programs

Woodwell Climate Research Center, Inc., Falmouth MA

Investigators

Abstract

The main objective of this one-year planning proposal is to understand how students from rural Arctic communities can discover, engage with, and remain involved in, Polar science and polar educational opportunities. The project team will collaborate with two Arctic Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs to gather and co-create knowledge and insights obtained from a collaborative network of field educators, community members and Arctic scientists. With collaborators from multiple programs, they aim to develop frameworks for effective Arctic STEM field experiences. This effort is focused on achieving a common understanding of the challenges related to recruiting and retaining students from Historically Excluded Groups (HEGs) in Arctic STEM, and it aims to propose key best practices to address these challenges. The proposed project has the potential to significantly impact Arctic STEM programs and increase the participation of students from rural communities in these programs. The project goal is to foster a community-of-practice that will make Arctic undergraduate research programs more engaging and accessible to a diverse range of participants. The effort will focus on understanding how to better serve the needs of students from Alaska Native and other Arctic communities. The proposed work acknowledges the intersectionality and complexity of Indigenous experiences and knowledge, contributing to a nuanced understanding of Arctic challenges. By engaging with Indigenous epistemologies, it expands the boundaries of knowledge creation in Arctic research and policy, and challenges traditional research paradigms. Emphasizing the interconnectedness of knowledge systems, this work fosters a more holistic and integrated approach to intellectual inquiry within Arctic STEM, enriching the field’s intellectual foundation and advancing its capacity for innovative problem-solving. This approach is an important step to support the evolution of Arctic STEM education programs. This effort also supports the goals of the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) Education Team, which is working to increase participation of Alaska Native youth in Federally-funded STEM programs in the Arctic and understand what innovations are necessary to better engage students from Arctic communities. 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.