ICE-TI: NICC's Baccalaureate in Indigenous Environmental Health

部落学院和大学方案的一个目标是提高为全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，增加了学生在STEM领域追求具有挑战性和回报的职业的机会，为可能具有文化意义的领域提供了研究，并鼓励社区和一代人对科学和数学教育的欣赏。内布拉斯加州印第安社区学院（NICC）的这个项目通过开发和提供该机构的第一个四年制STEM学位来实现这一目标。旨在专门解决土著社区的情况下，谁完成学位的学生将拥有强大的，多学科的环境问题，对人类健康和福祉的影响，以及解决方案来管理这些问题的理解。通过可行性研究汇编的数据表明，NICC所在地区对这一专业知识和技能的劳动力需求强劲，为毕业生提供了重要的职业机会，并为社区的经济稳定做出了贡献。新的土著环境健康理学学士学位将建立在NICC现有的普通科学研究理学副学士学位的基础上。开发和提供该学位的项目活动包括课程设计，雇用额外的教师，装备和增强额外的STEM实验室，并确保学位认证。该课程将包括与部落长老和STEM专业人员的合作伙伴关系，因为学生调查与土著社区相关的当地环境问题。核心计划要求包括成功完成一套跨越健康，环境和土著科学学科的高级课程，以及设计和完成高级顶点和高级研究项目。这个学位的交付有推进NICC的STEM学位课程到学士学位水平的额外意义，同时提供文化响应的职业机会，这将有利于其毕业生和整个社区。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

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 at these institutions increases the opportunities for 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 science and mathematics education. This project at Nebraska Indian Community College (NICC) aligns with this goal through the development and delivery of the institution’s first four-year STEM degree. Designed to specifically address Indigenous community contexts, students who complete the degree will possess a strong, multidisciplinary understanding of environmental problems, their impacts on human health and well-being, and solutions to manage those issues. Data compiled through a feasibility study indicate that workforce demand for this expertise and skill set is strong in NICC’s region, providing significant career opportunities for graduates and contributing to the community’s economic stability. The new Bachelor of Science in Indigenous Environmental Health will build on NICC’s existing Associate of Science in General Science Studies.Project activities for developing and delivering this degree include curriculum design, hiring of additional faculty, equipping and enhancing additional STEM laboratories, and securing accreditations for the degree. The curriculum will include partnerships with Tribal elders and STEM professionals as students investigate local place-based environmental issues relevant to the Indigenous community. Core program requirements include the successful completion of a set of upper-level courses across health, environmental, and Indigenous science disciplines as well as the design and completion of both senior capstone and senior research projects. The delivery of this degree has the added significances of advancing NICC’s STEM degree offerings to the baccalaureate level while providing culturally responsive career opportunities that will benefit its graduates and the community at large.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.