Immersive, Interdisciplinary, Identity-based Team Science Experiences for Indigenous Graduate Scholars

该项目旨在通过提供身临其境的、跨学科的、基于身份的团队科学体验(IIITSE)来解决人类活动对地球气候和生态系统造成重大影响而出现的挑战，从而重新设想研究生阶段STEM研究的结构和结果。IIITSE是以协作、文化肯定和解决方案为导向的研究项目，以不同的知识系统为中心，回应社区需求，支持不同种族的教职员工和学生，并在STEM学科内外促进公正、公平、多样化和包容性的校园和社区。当前的社会时刻暴露了学院内部的结构性不平等和不公正。特别是，STEM的研究生教育制度没有为土著学者创造蓬勃发展的环境。要解决这个问题，必须以多元身份、批判性学术、主权和自决为中心。该项目将使亚利桑那州立大学的土著研究生参与由主要是土著和拉丁裔学者组成的教员队列领导的身临其境的学习体验。这些身临其境的学习体验将使学生在协作、沟通和解决问题方面发展关键技能，同时还培养一个深刻反思、文化肯定和赋权的空间。学习界的目标是1)促进STEM的跨学科合作，2)促进跨学科和跨机构的土著教师合作，以及3)支持从文化上肯定STEM研究生的研究经验。IIITSE的概念是以“四个R”(尊重、相关性、互惠、责任)框架为基础的包容性教学方法，以促进土著学生在高等教育中的成功。将4Rs框架纳入STEM教学法可以采取多种形式，包括使用文化知识和实践的课堂和研究课程。这些方法对土著学生在本科STEM课程中的成功产生了积极的结果；然而，尚不清楚将这些原则转化为研究生水平的STEM研究将如何影响学生的看法和结果，或者如何转化为支持土著学者种族平等的持久体制变革。该项目旨在回答一个重要的研究问题：通过研究所将4Rs框架纳入研究生研究如何改善成果并增加土著人民的种族平等？该项目将评估该计划在多大程度上遵守4R，以及4R如何与STEM研究生土著学者的种族平等有关。定性方法将包括对参与IIITSE项目的学生、教职员工和社区成员进行访谈。使用4Rs方法，种族平等将在研究过程的各个部分得到实施，同时研究进展和分享结果，以便实施研究倡议的改变，并加快研究生教育的变革。该项目由STEM教育中的种族平等计划(EHR Race Equity)资助。该计划支持通过研究和实践促进科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)教育和劳动力发展方面的种族平等的项目。获奖项目集中了受STEM领域系统性种族主义造成的不平等影响最大的个人、社区和机构的声音、知识和经验。该计划符合NSF的核心价值，即支持来自全国不同人口群体、地区和组织类型的杰出研究人员和创新思想家。该奖项反映了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。

This project aims to re-imagine the structure and outcomes of STEM research at the graduate level, by providing Immersive, Interdisciplinary, Identity-based Team Science Experiences (IIITSEs) to solve challenges that have emerged as human activity has led to significant impacts on the planet's climate and ecosystems. IIITSEs are collaborative, culturally affirming, and solutions-oriented research projects that center diverse knowledge systems to respond to community needs, support cohorts of racially diverse faculty and students, and promote a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive campus and community within and beyond the STEM disciplines. The current societal moment has laid bare structural inequities and injustice within the academy. In particular, the system for graduate education in STEM does not foster an environment for Indigenous scholars to thrive. To address this problem, diverse identities, critical scholarship, sovereignty, and self-determination must be centered. This project will engage Indigenous graduate students at Arizona State University in immersive learning experiences led by a faculty cohort of predominantly Indigenous and Latinx scholars. These immersive learning experiences will allow students to develop critical skills in collaboration, communication, and problem solving while also cultivating a space for deep reflection, cultural affirmation, and empowerment. The learning community aims to 1) promote interdisciplinary collaboration in STEM, 2) elevate Indigenous faculty collaboration across disciplines and across the institution, and 3) support culturally affirming research experiences for graduate students in STEM.The IIITSE concept is underpinned by the inclusive pedagogical approach of the “Four R’s” (Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity, Responsibility) framework for Indigenous student success in higher education. Integration of the 4Rs framework into STEM pedagogy can take many forms, including classroom and research curricula that use cultural knowledge and practices. Such approaches produce positive outcomes of Indigenous student success in undergraduate STEM courses; however, it remains unclear how transferring these principles to graduate-level STEM research will influence student perceptions and outcomes, or how it might translate into lasting institutional changes that support racial equity for Indigenous scholars. This project aims to answer an overarching research question: How does integration of the 4Rs framework into graduate research via IIITSEs improve outcomes and increase racial equity for Indigenous people? The project will evaluate how well the program adheres to the 4Rs, and how the 4Rs relate to racial equity in STEM for graduate Indigenous scholars. Qualitative methods will include interviews of students, faculty, staff, and community members who participate in the IIITSE program. Using the 4Rs approach, racial equity will be enacted through all parts of the research process, while simultaneously studying the progress and sharing findings so that changes to research initiatives can be implemented and transformation of graduate education can be accelerated.This project is funded by the Racial Equity in STEM Education program (EHR Racial Equity). The program supports projects that promote racial equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development through research and practice. Awarded projects center the voices, knowledge, and experiences of the individuals, communities, and institutions most impacted by the inequities caused by systemic racism in STEM fields. This program aligns with NSF’s core value of supporting outstanding researchers and innovative thinkers from across the Nation's diversity of demographic groups, regions, and types of organizations.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.