Collaborative Research: The Polaris Project - Catalyzing Change in the Arctic Research Community

合作研究：北极星项目 - 促进北极研究界的变化

• 批准号: 1915300
• 负责人: Seeta Sistla
• 金额: $ 7.02万
• 依托单位: Hampshire College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-08-15 至 2022-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1915300&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Polaris; Project; Catalyzing

The Polaris Project engages a diverse group of undergraduate students in cutting-edge arctic research and provides them encouragement, mentoring, and opportunities to continue pursuing arctic studies. The program, which is designed to address the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the polar geoscience workforce, will also train students in the process of co-production of knowledge with local communities in the Arctic. In addition to the inherent benefit of linking scientific progress to societal needs, undergraduate students' scientific motivations are increasingly focused on a desire to 'make a difference' that extends beyond collecting, synthesizing, and reporting data. The Polaris Project will develop an undergraduate student research and mentoring model that supports this need. The central element of the Polaris Project is the month-long summer experience, which includes a field expedition to the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska, during which students will complete a research project of their own design. Expedition participants tackle an issue of great scientific and societal importance, the impacts of fire and permafrost thaw on the vulnerability of the Arctic landscape. As part of the expedition, students and faculty will also spend time interacting with and learning from local and indigenous residents of Alaska who are experiencing the effects of the changing environment first-hand. Engaging with local and indigenous Arctic communities in the generation of scientific knowledge is critical to understanding the Arctic system and to applying this knowledge to effectively address societal needs at local to global scales. The project will develop a model for undergraduate education that includes conducting scientific research combined with invaluable expertise, training, and input from local and indigenous communities. Evaluation of the model will improve our understanding of how to design projects that engage undergraduates in research that encompasses co-production of knowledge with local communities, and particularly in arctic-related science in Alaska. This proposal is supported by the Office of Polar Programs and by the Division of Undergraduate Education.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

北极星项目与一群多样化的本科生参与尖端的北极研究，并为他们提供了鼓励，指导和机会继续进行北极研究。该计划旨在解决极地地球科学劳动力中缺乏种族和种族多样性的计划，还将在与北极当地社区共同生产知识的过程中培训学生。除了将科学进步与社会需求联系起来的固有好处外，本科生的科学动机越来越集中于“产生差异”的愿望，该欲望超出了收集，综合和报告数据。北极星项目将开发一个满足这一需求的本科生研究和指导模型。北极星项目的核心要素是为期一个月的夏季体验，其中包括前往阿拉斯加育空地区Kuskokwim Delta的实地考察，在此期间，学生将完成自己设计的研究项目。探险参与者解决了一个非常重要的科学和社会重要性的问题，火灾和永久冻结对北极景观脆弱性的影响。作为探险队的一部分，学生和教职员工还将花时间与阿拉斯加的当地和土著居民进行互动和学习，这些居民亲身经历了不断变化的环境的影响。与当地和土著北极社区的生成科学知识相互互动对于理解北极系统和应用这些知识以有效解决本地量表至全球范围的社会需求至关重要。该项目将开发一个本科教育的模型，其中包括进行科学研究以及来自地方和土著社区的宝贵专业知识，培训和投入。对该模型的评估将提高我们对如何设计项目的理解，这些项目包括在研究中涉及与当地社区的知识共同生产的研究，尤其是在阿拉斯加北极相关的科学方面。该提案得到了极地计划办公室和本科教育的划分的支持。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并且使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响评估标准，被认为值得通过评估来获得支持。