ICE-TI: STEM Expansion at TMCC

部落学院和大学方案(TCUP)的一个目标是提高为本国土著学生服务的特定高等教育机构的科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)教学和研究能力。扩大这些机构的STEM课程设置和研究能力将扩大学生在STEM领域追求具有挑战性、有回报的职业的机会，提供可能具有文化意义的领域的研究性学习，并鼓励社区和世代认识到科学和数学在劳动力准备和解决生活质量问题中的作用。该项目与这一目标直接一致，而且还将增加TCU的学位授予能力，为海龟山保护区的居民带来(地理上、社会上和经济上的)上层STEM教育机会。海龟山社区学院(TMCC)将在其提供的教育项目中开发一个经认可的环境科学学士学位，并将包括招募退伍军人和K-12学生，将其纳入外联和研究，从而增加对STEM的兴趣和欣赏，将其作为农村、经济困难地区的职业选择。增加STEM教员的数量将显著增加学院可以进行的研究的水平和数量。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

A goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities of specific institutions of higher education that serve the Nation's indigenous students. Expanding the STEM curricular offerings and research capacity at these institutions expands the opportunities of their students to pursue challenging, rewarding careers in STEM fields, provides for research studies in areas that may be culturally significant, and encourages a community and generational appreciation for the role of science and mathematics in workforce preparation and addressing quality-of-life issues. This project aligns directly with that goal, and moreover will increase the degree-granting capacity of a TCU, bringing upper division STEM educational opportunities within reach (geographically, socially, and financially) for residents of the Turtle Mountain Reservation. Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC) will develop an accredited BS in environmental science to its slate of educational offerings, and will include the recruitment of veterans and K-12 students by inclusion in outreach and research, thereby increasing the interest in and appreciation of STEM as a career option in a rural, economically disadvantaged region. Increasing the number of STEM faculty will significantly increase the level and volume of research that can be conducted at or by the college.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.