Engaging indigenous students in research through the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR 2020); March, 2020, Bozeman, MT

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Native American undergraduates face many challenges, including limited opportunities to participate in undergraduate research and little to no opportunity to present their work at national conferences. This project will enable students from the seven tribal colleges in Montana and other Native students in the region to receive training in the preparation and submission of conference abstracts and in the development of effective communication skills for presentation of student research work. At least 60 Native students will be provided financial and technical support that will allow them to participate in the 34th National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), hosted by Montana State University (MSU) in March 2020. A pre-conference workshop will be held at MSU to enable students to work with faculty mentors to construct an abstract for submission to NCUR. Students will then be able to actively engage at the Conference by giving an oral/poster paper of their research. A special orientation session at NCUR will introduce students to the conference to maximize interaction and networking and to enhance the impact of the conference on student academic work and pursuit of a STEM career. This project will make it possible for most tribal college students in Montana and neighboring states to present their undergraduate research at NCUR 2020. The goal is to use the enthusiasm generated by the Nation?s premier undergraduate research event to advance knowledge, increase awareness, and foster the interest of Native students in graduate school and research-related careers.Workshops, both pre-conference and at NCUR, will engage Native students to discussions on graduate education thru the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) panel, on STEM careers thru the Native professionals career panel, and on other Native student academic opportunities thru the Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) topical sessions and affinity group social events. These events will build a sense of belonging and community for Native students during the conference. A post-conference assessment will evaluate the impact of the NCUR 2020 conference on the research engagement of Native participants.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.