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

国家科学基金会科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金(S-STEM)项目将增加明尼苏达大学莫里斯分校(UMM)环境科学(ES)跨学科学位毕业生的学术天赋、经济困难学生的数量。该项目将包括20名ES专业或地质学、化学/生物化学或物理学专业的学者，重点是ES。学生的成功将通过完善的学术支持计划、专职的多种族资源工作人员、学术建议和同行指导来促进。该项目立足于当地和区域社区的需要，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。该项目将满足国家对大幅增加接受跨学科培训的美国科学家数量的需求。该项目将遵循拉美裔/奇卡诺人和美国原住民科学促进会2009-2013年战略计划的研究建议，专注于向大学生活的过渡，这对代表不足的学生的发展至关重要，对所有学生的发展也很重要。因此，它将包括(A)积极的教师指导，从大学前注册开始，并鼓励参与NSF-IUSE支持的夏季桥牌，(B)队列活动(共享课程、实地考察和学习社区)，以及(C)暑期研究和职业旅行机会等。形成性和终结性评估将包括对学生对项目活动的看法的调查，以及对项目结果及其对UMM的影响的分析。将在国家(美国化学学会(ACS))和地区(中西部文科学院化学教师协会和五大湖化学教师协会)会议和会议上传播评价结果和有关该项目的一般信息。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，一份关于明尼苏达大学-莫里斯国家科学基金会所有项目(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《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."