RII-BEC: Grounding Science Education in Indigenous Knowledges, Food Systems, and Sustainability

该奖项全部或部分根据2021年美国救援计划法案（公法117-2）资助。该项目将通过增加美国原住民学生在科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）竞技场的参与和成功，并通过改善所有学生的STEM教育，为国家利益服务。 该项目将包括使用榜样，广泛的指导互动，并在本科STEM专业发展文化相关的专业化，即在可持续发展与环境系在南达科他州（USD）的大学可持续发展。此外，该项目将通过STEM教师学习社区的开发，实施和研究以及围绕创新，文化相关和循证医学的培训来加强。项目组成部分将为学生提供学术，文化和社会支持，因为他们在坚持毕业的关键过渡点导航。项目发现和成果将为理解和减轻COVID-19对STEM历史上被边缘化的学生，特别是土著学生的不成比例的影响做出重要贡献。这些发现和成果将在从地方到国家的多个层面上传播。该项目的基本目标是增加美国原住民学生在USD以可持续发展为重点的STEM教育中的入学率和坚持率。 该项目将采取多方面，多层次的方法：（1）提高美国原住民在STEM教师中的存在;（2）使用多导师模式，为美国原住民学生提供全面的文化，学术，社会和财政支持;（3）在本科可持续发展专业中提供新的，与文化相关的专业化;（4）加强机构能力和基础设施，以提高传统上在STEM教育中被边缘化的学生的保留率和坚持率;（5）发展和扩大与部落学院的合作伙伴关系，以及（6）增加文化、学术、在STEM教育的关键转型期间，为美洲原住民学生提供社会和财政支持系统。该项目的特点和调查项目活动如何影响学生的持久性和成功在几个关键的过渡点，包括进入一年级的学生，进入部落学院的学生，并开始硕士和博士生。通过由外部评估员领导的广泛评估研究，将评估项目组成部分和资源的影响，并产生新的知识，特别是与美洲原住民学生的保留，成功和毕业的坚持有关。此外，有关如何减轻COVID-19对来自代表性不足群体的学生的不成比例影响的项目将产生新的成果。通过访谈、调查以及调查前和调查后的问卷，评价员将在整个项目中通过发展性的、迭代的评价方法实施项目评价，以支持战略学习和持续适应和改进。项目利益攸关方将通过出版物、专业会议和专业团体传播结果、成果和制定的示范框架，包括，例如，美国印第安人科学与工程学会（AISES）和墨西哥裔/西班牙裔和美洲原住民科学促进会（SACNAS）该奖项反映了NSF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 award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). This project will serve the national interest by increasing Native American student participation and success in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) arena and by improving STEM education for all students. The project will incorporate the use of role models, extensive mentoring interactions, and development of a culturally relevant specialization in an undergraduate STEM major, namely the Sustainability major in the Department of Sustainability and Environment at the University of South Dakota (USD). Further, the project will be enhanced through the development, implementation, and study of STEM faculty learning communities and training built around innovative, culturally relevant, and evidence-based pedagogies. Project components will provide academic, cultural, and social support for students as they navigate critical transition points in their persistence to graduation. Project findings and outcomes will provide important contributions to the understanding and mitigation of the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on students historically marginalized in STEM, especially students from Indigenous populations. These findings and outcomes will be disseminated at several levels, ranging from local to national.The underlying goal of the project is to increase enrollment and persistence of Native American students in sustainability-focused STEM education at USD. The project will take a multi-faceted, multi-level approach by: (1) enhancing Native American presence in the STEM faculty; (2) using a multiple-mentor model that provides holistic cultural, academic, social, and financial support to Native American students; (3) offering a new, culturally relevant specialization within the undergraduate Sustainability major; (4) increasing institutional capacity and infrastructure to improve retention and persistence of students who have traditionally been marginalized in STEM education; (5) developing and expanding partnerships with Tribal Colleges, and (6) adding to the knowledge base with respect to the implementation and impact of cultural, academic, social, and financial support systems for Native American students during critical transitions in STEM education. The project will feature and investigate how project activities impact student persistence and success at several critical transition points that include entering first-year students, entering students from tribal colleges, and beginning masters and doctoral students. Through an extensive evaluation study led by an external evaluator, the impacts of project components and resources will be assessed and new knowledge will be generated, especially in connection with Native American student retention, success, and persistence to graduation. In addition, new results will emanate from the project regarding how to mitigate the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on students from underrepresented groups. With the employment of interviews, surveys, and pre- and post-questionnaires, the evaluator will implement project evaluation through a developmental, iterative evaluation approach throughout the project to support strategic learning and continuous adaptation and improvement. Project stakeholders will disseminate results, outcomes, and the developed model framework through publications, professional conferences, and professional communities, including, for example, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) and the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS).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.