Lighting the Pathway to Faculty Careers for Natives in STEM

该奖项授予美国印第安人科学与工程学会(AISIS)，旨在增加坚持科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)的美国印第安人和阿拉斯加原住民(AI/AN)学生的数量。长期目标是增加在美国高校攻读STEM学科教职的人工智能/人工智能个人的数量。人工智能/AN团队缺乏STEM教师一直是一个长期存在的全国性问题。许多公共和私人实体都进行了投资，以提高原住民在STEM领域的代表性--包括在教师职位上--这些投资并没有对人工智能/AN中坚持STEM的学生比例产生太大影响。该项目名为《照亮STEM本地人的教师职业发展之路》，将在国家层面实施一项为期5年的试点计划，利用参与AISES国家努力的个人或其184个大学生分会的广泛网络。为了继续保持美国在全球经济中的竞争力，美国必须利用所有人才来推动科学知识和技术创新。这一项目将帮助实现这一目标。通过AISES国家网络，该项目将招收生物科学、数学和物理科学、地球科学、计算机和信息科学以及工程学专业的学生--包括所有学术水平的学生(本科生、研究生和博士后)。在5年的时间里，预计平均每年将有35名学生参加该项目。将为学生提供强有力的持续支持和指导系统，使他们能够克服完成STEM学位的障碍。将为学生提供与STEM职业生涯成功相关的信息、研究经验、领导力培训、榜样和其他工具，以帮助他们提升到下一个学术水平。频繁的面对面和虚拟会议将使与会者接触到诸如平衡生活和职业、有效的学习习惯、克服地理和文化隔绝、研究生学校和职业准备、作为STEM专业的成功战略以及成功撰写研究生奖学金申请等主题。从本科生到高级教师的本土学者网络将创造一个有利于学生在STEM职业生涯中继续取得成功的支持性环境。与会者将参加AISES全国会议，以加强与同行的专业和个人联系，并参加他们选择的STEM领域的会议，以展示他们的研究成果。外部评估将评估该计划在学生参与之前、期间和之后对学生在STEM中的坚持性的影响。该项目由生物科学(BIO)、数学和物理科学(MPS)、工程(ENG)、教育(EHR)、地球科学(GEO)、计算机和信息科学与工程(CEISE)以及国际和综合活动办公室(OIIA)支持。

This award to the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) is aimed at increasing the number of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students who persist in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The long term goal is to increase the number of AI/AN individuals who pursue faculty positions in STEM disciplines at US colleges and universities. The dearth of STEM faculty from the AI/AN group has been a long-standing national problem. Many public and private entities have made investments to improve the representation of Natives in STEM fields -- including in faculty positions -- and these investments have not made much of a difference in the percentage of students persisting in STEM among AI/AN. This project, Lighting the Pathway to Faculty Careers for Natives in STEM, will implement a 5-year pilot program at the national level, using the extensive network of individuals who are engaged in AISES national efforts or its 184 college student chapters. To continue to maintain US competiveness in the global economy, the country must utilize all of its talents in order to advance scientific knowledge and technological innovation. This project will help achieve that.Through the AISES national network, this project will recruit students majoring in the biological sciences, mathematical and physical sciences, geosciences, computer and information science, and engineering -- at all academic levels (undergrad, graduate and postdoc). Over the course of 5 years, it is expected that an average of 35 students will participate in the program each year. The students will be provided a strong and persistent support and mentoring system so that they can overcome barriers to the completion of their STEM degrees. Students will be provided information relevant to success in a STEM career, research experience, leadership training, role models, and other tools to help them advance to the next academic level. Frequent face-to-face and virtual meetings will expose participants to topics such as balancing life and career, effective study habits, overcoming geographic and cultural isolation, graduate school and career preparation, strategies for success as a STEM major, and writing successful graduate fellowship applications. The network of Native scholars ranging from undergraduates to senior faculty will create a supportive environment conducive to continued success in the students' pursuit of a STEM career. Participants will attend the AISES National Conference to foster strong professional and personal ties with their peers, and a conference in their chosen STEM field in order to present the results of their research. An external evaluation will assess the impact of the program on student persistence in STEM before, during, and after students' participation. These findings will serve as a guide for future, expanded-scale projects and will also inform application to other underrepresented groups.This project is supported by the Directorates for Biological Sciences (BIO), Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS), Engineering (ENG), Education (EHR), Geosciences (GEO), and Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), and the Office of International and Integrative Activities (OIIA).