STEM Education Postdoctoral Research Fellows in Participatory and Community-Engaged Research

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This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). The STEM Education Postdoctoral Research Fellowship program funds postdoctoral awards designed to enhance the research competencies of recent doctoral graduates in STEM, STEM education, and related disciplines to prepare them to engage in STEM education research that advances knowledge in the field. In alignment with that goal this project partners Michigan State University, the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at the State University of New York’s Environmental Science and Forestry campus, and the Sustainable Development Institute of the College of Menominee Nation with two objectives. First is to build STEM education research capacity and advance knowledge in STEM education; and second is to broaden the participation of people of color in the STEM workforce. The project will bring to bear the institutional resources and expertise of the collaborating partners to prioritize the support of six Indigenous STEM education researchers in developing professional knowledge and competencies, preparing them to undertake research that will generate new understandings about best practices in STEM education that serve to increase Indigenous representation in STEM.The project activities are framed around nine research-based competencies for supporting the comprehensive development of postdoctoral fellows as highly prepared independent STEM education researchers. The complementary resources and roles of the three institutional partners will deliver a blend of traditional and unique experiences customized to support the growth of Indigenous STEM education researchers, especially in the use of participatory community-engaged research methods. The partnership will afford immersion experiences in Indigenous communities for fellows and faculty mentors to further their cultural competence and provide opportunities to engage in authentic participatory research studies investigating STEM education issues of importance to Indigenous people. The involvement of faculty mentors in these activities will expand their perspectives on research and foster the transformation of their STEM and education departments toward environments more welcoming of diverse scholars. The project holds high potential for generating new models for supporting Indigenous scholars, strategies for transforming STEM departments to be more inclusive, and insights on approaches for successfully engaging in research with diverse communities to improve their representation in the STEM workforce.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.