EAGER: Exploring impacts of scholarships, cross-institutional networks, and co-curricular activities on Navajo student and faculty leadership development

该项目将研究奖学金支持、参与跨机构网络活动的机会、虚拟研讨会以及与同行和导师讨论影响福祉和持久性的问题对地球科学、环境科学和相关STEM领域的学生、应届毕业生和教师的保留和领导力发展的影响。这些pi将支持新墨西哥大学、纳瓦霍技术大学、Dine学院和科学多元化领导中心（CDLS）之间的网络建设活动。该项目将支持一个新的教师研究员项目和早期职业研究员项目，参与者来自合作机构。教员的领导力发展将包括承诺在这项资助的过程中利用更具包容性的教学和指导实践，这将支持纳瓦霍学生的保留。为了培养早期职业研究员的领导能力，pi将参与跨文化互动，发展指导网络，并通过CDLS提供与来自多个机构的学生、应届毕业生和教师联系的机会。学生保留率和领导力发展也将受益于以下活动：1)为纳瓦霍技术大学（Navajo Technical University）和Dine College的学生和应届毕业生提供经济支持，2)为参与网络提供笔记本电脑和宽带互联网接入的计算补贴，3)通过与同行和垂直导师的个人会议以及社区讨论圈就COVID、健康和福祉以及领导力提供支持的机会，4)在每个参与机构参加与环境科学和其他绿色STEM领域有关的虚拟研讨会和研究和推广项目的机会。该项目应对了对纳瓦霍族等弱势群体造成不成比例影响的2019冠状病毒病历史关头。大流行造成了纳瓦霍族学生难以获得基本资源和教育资源的环境。这限制了他们在地球科学、环境科学和其他STEM领域的能力，这些领域需要他们的多元化观点和领导力。该项目将通过专业发展机会和资金来解决这些障碍，直接支持纳瓦霍族学生、应届毕业生和早期职业专业人士。pi将重点关注教师发展，以支持纳瓦霍学生在STEM领域的保留，同时希望通过体验式学习机会、经济支持和指导，提高土著学生在地球科学、绿色STEM和更广泛的STEM领域的保留率。虚拟研讨会和以领导力为重点的讨论圈将有助于支持早期职业和教职员工成为地球科学和其他领域多样性的拥护者。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will examine the impacts of scholarship support, opportunities to participate in network activities across institutions, virtual workshops, and discussion of issues impacting well-being and persistence with peers and mentors on retention and leadership development of students, recent graduates, and faculty in geoscience, environmental science, and related STEM fields. The PIs will support network building activities between the University of New Mexico, Navajo Technical University, Dine College, and the Center for Diverse Leadership in Science (CDLS). The project will support a new faculty fellows program and early career fellows program with participants from partnering institutions. Leadership development for faculty fellows will include committing to utilizing more inclusive teaching and mentoring practices over the course of this grant which would support Navajo student retention. To develop leadership capacity in early career fellows, the PIs will engage in cross-cultural interaction, develop a mentoring network, and provide opportunities for connection with students, recent graduates, and faculty from multiple institutions and through CDLS. Student retention and leadership development will also benefit from multiple activities: 1) Financial support via stipends for students and recent graduates from Navajo Technical University and Dine College, 2) Computing stipends to support laptops and broadband internet access for participation in the network, 3) Opportunities for support through individual meetings with peer and vertical mentors, and community talking circles on COVID, health and wellbeing, and leadership, and 4) Opportunities for participation in virtual workshops and research and outreach projects pertaining to environmental science and other green STEM fields at each of the participating institutions.This project responds to the COVID-19 historical conjuncture that has disproportionately impacted vulnerable populations such as the Navajo Nation. The pandemic created an environment where Navajo students have difficulty accessing essential as well as educational resources. This is inhibiting their ability to be retained in geoscience, environmental science, and other STEM fields where their diverse perspectives and leadership is needed. This project will counter these barriers with professional development opportunities and funding to directly support Navajo students, recent graduates, and early career professionals. The PIs will focus on faculty development that will support retention of Navajo students in STEM while simultaneously hoping to boost retention rates of indigenous students in geoscience, green STEM, and STEM more broadly, through experiential learning opportunities, financial support, and mentorship. The virtual workshops and leadership-focused talking circles will serve to support both early career and faculty fellows to become champions for diversity in geoscience and other fields.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.