Increasing research opportunities for undergraduates: A program for Native American and Pacific Islander students

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The Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS), in collaboration with Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP)supports a research program in tropical biology designed to address the specific cultural and social background of Native American and Pacific Islander undergraduate students, two groups that are severely underrepresented in the environmental and biological sciences. This program is a continuation and extension of a successful program funded by LSAMP. The goal of the 2010-2012 Native American and Pacific Islander program is to provide an intensive field research experience for Native American and Pacific Islander undergraduate students. The program is structured around an eight week timeframe during which the participants will conduct research at OTS? Las Cruces Biological Station, among other sites, and visit local indigenous communities. The focus of the program is the development of the students? interest in biology and their capacity to conduct field research.The strength of the program lies in engaging Native American and Pacific Islander students in pure and applied biological research, while introducing them to the biodiversity, cultural diversity and community-based conservation issues of the tropics. Under the guidance of the program staff and faculty research mentors, the students will complete high quality research projects designed to sharpen their technical skills and enrich their professional development. In addition, by providing a broad range of scientific perspectives and research experiences, the students will gain a sense of career awareness to clarify and direct their future academic life.The NAPIRE program is designed to impact the academic and professional development of Native American and Pacific Islander students by providing a broad range of scientific and research skills to improve their academic competitiveness at the undergraduate and graduate levels and to encourage them to pursue careers in the environmental and biological sciences.