Indigenous Program for Stem Research and a Regional Native Network of Graduate Education: A National Research and Educational Model

美国印第安人在研究生水平的科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)研究和教育中的代表性不足是一个必须解决的问题，以保护美洲原住民社区和民族的未来，并确保有一支可行、健康的全国STEM劳动力队伍。该项目创建了一个关于本土STEM研究和研究生教育的国家方案，其重点是由九所高等教育机构组成的区域本土网络(RN2)。该项目由爱达荷大学牵头，旨在增加美国原住民学生在STEM领域获得硕士和博士学位的人数。ISTEM项目是一个独特的全国性项目，提供全面的STEM研究生培训，以满足美洲原住民的需求和愿望。在与部落社区和美洲原住民国家顾问委员会协商后，ISTEM通过合作的方法(RN2)解决了美洲原住民研究生及其部落的具体需求，以招收、研究设计和保留STEM研究生。在项目期间，该研究所在评估的基础上对正在进行的方案修改进行了部分试验。智力价值该方案课程和方案结构的许多组成部分来自现有模式，这些模式在培训来自代表不足的少数族裔群体的研究生方面是有效的。该计划将纳入公认的和实验的组成部分，包括：(1)有美国印第安人参与的新的教学模式；(2)基于学生与利益相关者互动的队列模式的协作、跨学科研究；(3)将STEM置于社会和文化背景中，以便将知识论融入良好的教学和学习中。该计划的结果将为未来STEM研究生教育的计划设计提供参考，并鼓励研究向人口中代表性较低的部分提供更有效的研究生教育。广泛影响ISTEM计划的重点是从代表性较低的群体中培养STEM专业人员的核心，即美国的美洲印第安人。该计划通过为美国印第安人学者提供研究设施和方法，以探索部落和美洲原住民土地和人民所关心的持续问题，从而直接造福社会。此外，ISTEM正在通过RN2促进STEM的发现和理解，RN2是其合作的、以利益相关者为中心的研究和教育设计方法。ISTEM概念可扩展并适用于该国的其他地区，项目结束后将由合作伙伴园区维持该概念。

The underrepresentation of American Indian people in graduate level science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research and education is an issue that must be addressed in order to safeguard the future of Native American communities and Nations, and to ensure a viable, healthy, national STEM workforce. This project creates a national program for Indigenous STEM Research and Graduate Education (ISTEM) that has a focus of a Regional Native Network (RN2) of nine institutions of higher education. Led by the University of Idaho, ISTEM aims to increase the number of Native American students obtaining Masters and PhD degrees in STEM fields. The ISTEM program is a unique national program that provides comprehensive STEM graduate training to address the needs and desires of Native American peoples. In consultation with tribal communities and a Native American national advisory board, ISTEM addresses the specific needs of both Native American graduate students and their tribes through a collaborative approach (RN2) to recruitment, research design, and retention of STEM graduate students. During the project period, ISTEM is partially experimental with ongoing program modifications based on assessment.Intellectual MeritMany components of the ISTEM curriculum and programmatic structure are drawn from existing models that have been effective in the training of graduate students from underrepresented minority populations. The program will incorporate both accepted and experimental components, including: (1) new modalities of teaching and learning that have American Indian input; (2) collaborative, interdisciplinary research based on a cohort model of students interacting with stakeholders; and (3) situating STEM into social and cultural contexts so that the theory of knowledge is woven into good teaching and learning. The results of the program will inform future program design in graduate STEM education, and encourage research into delivering more effective graduate education to underrepresented segments of the population.Broader ImpactsThe ISTEM program is focused on the creation of a core of STEM professionals from an underrepresented group, namely American Indian peoples of the United States. The program directly benefits society by providing American Indian scholars access to research facilities and methodologies for exploring ongoing issues of concern to tribal and Native American lands and peoples. Additionally, ISTEM is advancing STEM discovery and understanding through RN2, its collaborative, stakeholder-centric approach to research and education design. The ISTEM concept is scalable and adaptable to other regions of the country, and will be sustained by partner campuses once the project ends.