ICE-TI: Building Capacity and Pathways to STEM Degrees

部落学院和大学方案(TCUP)的一个目标是提高为本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。在这些机构扩大STEM课程的范围，可以扩大学生在STEM领域追求富有挑战性和回报的职业的机会，提供在可能具有文化意义的领域进行研究的机会，并鼓励社区和世代对科学和数学教育的欣赏。该项目直接与这一目标相一致，并可作为类似高等教育机构发展学位课程的典范和动力。教师与开发新的学习计划机会的联系，确保成功地转移到当地就业，特别是部落就业，或在附近大学进行学士学位学习，将证明聘请全职、有证书的STEM教师致力于特定的学习和准备工作的重要性。此外，对于那些直接从部落大学进入劳动力市场的学生来说，至关重要的是，他们拥有进入STEM劳动力市场的明确的数学、科学和技术技能。该项目在白土部落和社区学院(WETCC)为学生提供认可的STEM自然科学(AS)副学士学位，这些学生随后可以转到当地大学攻读高级学位，以攻读学士学位或为在当地，特别是部落服务组织工作做准备。AS项目承认并进一步提高了学生攻读自然科学学位的能力，除了生物学，还包括化学和物理--这个学位对TCU学生的职业和人生选择有很大的好处。STEM专业教员的增加，特别是化学和物理，确保了课程设置与相关学习项目具有更广泛的相关性。加强自然科学提供基础，帮助学生取得成功并进入其他学习项目，包括健康科学，这些项目有时会被资助机构边缘化。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。

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 expands 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 aligns directly with that goal, and moreover may serve as a model and impetus for similar institutions of higher education to develop degree programs. The connection of faculty to the development of novel opportunities for programs of study that ensure successful transfer to local employment, particularly tribal employment, or to baccalaureate studies at nearby universities will demonstrate the essentiality of engaging full-time, credentialed STEM faculty devoted to a specific strand of study and preparation. Moreover, for those students entering the workforce directly from a tribal college it is crucially important that they have a well-defined skill set in mathematics, science, and technology for entry into the STEM workforce. This project provides an accredited STEM associate of science (AS) degree in the natural sciences at White Earth Tribal and Community College (WETCC) for students who may then transfer to a local university for upper division studies to pursue a baccalaureate degree or be prepared for employment at local, particularly tribal, service organizations. The AS project recognizes and furthers students’ ability to pursue degrees in the natural sciences to include chemistry and physics, in addition to biology—a degree that can have a significant benefit to the career and life options for TCU students. The increase in specialized STEM faculty, specifically chemistry and physics, ensures that the curricular offerings have relevance more broadly to related programs of study. Strengthening the natural sciences provides a grounding and assists student success and matriculation into other programs of study, including health sciences, that are sometimes marginalized by funding agencies.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.