Encouraging rural and Native American students to participate in interdisciplinary Environmental Sciences

该NSF科学，技术，工程和数学奖学金（S-STEM）项目将增加明尼苏达-莫里斯大学（UMM）环境科学（ES）跨学科学位毕业的学术人才，经济弱势学生的数量。 该项目将包括20名学者，主修ES或地质学，化学/生物化学，或物理学专业与ES的重点。 学生的成功将通过一个完善的学术支持计划，一个专门的多民族资源工作人员，学术咨询和同行指导培育。 该项目以当地和区域社区的需求为基础，应有助于增加美洲原住民在追求和获得STEM学位方面的参与。该项目将解决国家需要大量增加美国科学家的跨学科培训的数量。该项目将遵循2009年西班牙裔/奇卡诺斯和美洲原住民科学促进协会基于研究的建议-2013年战略计划，重点是过渡到大学生活，这是至关重要的发展代表性不足的学生和重要的发展，所有学生 因此，它将包括（a）从大学预科注册开始的积极教师指导，并鼓励参与NSF-IUSE支持的夏桥，（B）队列活动（共享课程，实地旅行和学习社区），以及（c）夏季研究和专业旅行机会等。 形成性和总结性评估将包括学生对项目活动的看法的调查，以及对项目成果及其对UMM的影响的分析。 将在国家（美国化学学会）和区域（中西部文理学院化学教师协会和五大湖化学学会）的大会和会议上传播评价结果和关于该项目的一般信息。 这项工作将提交给《农村教育研究杂志》和《美国印第安人教育杂志》。 此外，关于明尼苏达大学莫里斯NSF项目（S-STEM，REU和IUSE）的故事建议将提交给美国印第安人科学与工程学会的《变革之风》杂志。"

This NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) project will increase the number of academically talented, economically disadvantaged students who graduate with interdisciplinary degrees in Environmental Sciences (ES) at the University of Minnesota-Morris (UMM). The project will include 20 scholars majoring in ES or Geology, Chemistry/Biochemistry, or Physics majors with an ES emphasis. Student success will be fostered through a well-established academic support program, a dedicated Multi-ethnic Resource staff, academic advising, and peer mentoring. The project is grounded in the needs of the local and regional community and should help to increase the participation of Native Americans in the pursuit and attainment of STEM degrees. The project will address the national need to increase significantly the number of American scientists with interdisciplinary training.The project will follow the research-based recommendations of the Society for Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science 2009-2013 Strategic Plan by focusing on transitions to college life that are critical to the development of underrepresented students and important for the development of all students. Therefore, it will include (a) active faculty mentoring starting with pre-college registration and encouraged participation in the NSF-IUSE supported summer bridge , (b) cohort activities (shared curriculum, filed trips, and a learning community), and (c) summer research and professional travel opportunities among others. Formative and summative evaluation will consist of surveys of students' perceptions of the project activities and an analysis of the program outcomes and their impact of those programs on UMM. Dissemination of the results of evaluation and information about the project in general, will be done at national (American Chemical Society (ACS)) and regional (Midwestern Association of Chemistry Teachers in Liberal Arts Colleges and Great Lakes ACS) conferences and meetings. The work will be submitted to the Journal of Research in Rural Education and the Journal of American Indian Education. Moreover, a story suggestion about all University of Minnesota-Morris NSF projects (S-STEM, REU, and IUSE) will be submitted to the American Indian Science and Engineering Society "Winds of Change Magazine."