Elwha Education Project : Increasing the Relevancy of Geosciences for Native American Youth Through Participation in Environmental Restoration Projects on Tribal Lands (Track 1)

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Track 1: Elwha Education Project: Increasing the Relevancy of Geosciences for Native American Youth Through Participation in Environmental Restoration Projects on Tribal LandsNative Americans are poorly represented in all science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. This underrepresentation results from numerous cultural, economic, and historical factors. The broad goal of the Elwha Education Project (EEP) is to increase interest in the geosciences among Native American young people and their communities. The primary intellectual merit of the EEP involves development of unique approaches to informal geoscience education using environmental restoration as a focus. Hands-on geoscience education activities are integrated into traditional, culturally appropriate summer activities sponsored by the Elwha Tribe. Tribal members/educators are integrated into all phases of the project. Technical expertise is provided by the PI, access to land and data related to the planned Elwha River Restoration Project is provided by Olympic National Park, and educational activities are carried out by the non-profit, Olympic Park Institute. Nationally, many tribes are using environmental restoration projects to reclaim their altered cultural heritage. Projects like the EEP, emphasize the importance of the geosciences in environmental restoration and enable Native youth to carry out restoration-based geoscience research projects. This will ultimately increase the representation of Native Americans in geoscience careers and raise the profile of the geosciences within Native American communities.