Factors Influencing Scientific Research Careers among American Indians

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Project Abstract Even compared to other underrepresented groups, the American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) population is not well represented in STEM and disappointingly, are not always detailed in comparisons of workforce data because of their small numbers. Interventions to address risk factors of AIAN students have frequently been atheoretical, lacking in systematic evaluation, and developed without focus on explicit cultural terms that enable students to create a positive bicultural identity as scientists. The most recent data from Diverse Issues in Higher Education underscores the unique role of the University of Oklahoma in the higher education of American Indian students, as one of the top institutions in the nation in terms of the highest number of American Indian bachelors’ degree recipients. Thus, this proposal provides several points of innovation with regard to prediction of academic perseverance and career success in biomedical and behavioral research careers among AIAN students, building on a previous NIGMS-supported study using Social Cognitive Career Theory. The current proposal aims to collect additional longitudinal survey data on AIAN and comparison group participants to establish full sets undergraduate experience and graduation information on several cohorts of students and to comprehensively analyze the time-variant factors in this data. In addition, this proposal explores the unique concerns of AIAN students through qualitative and quantitative methods in order to determine their potential as levers of change in policy as well as development of programming to increase engagement and persistence in STEM majors, with the intention of developing and evaluating the effectiveness of these activities in a future grant proposal. The goal of increasing the number of AIAN STEM majors and AIAN biomedical/behavioral research scientists would benefit from additional context to create a more sustainable outcome that considers the intersection between student interests and ability, community needs, and industry skill gaps. Thus, this project will seek input from a Tribal Education Alliance composed of tribal education departments and other tribal professionals, industry groups in proximity to areas with high AIAN populations, and continued discussions with AIAN undergraduate and graduate students. Our needs assessment will address the question of gaps between student skills and education and the needs of tribal and Oklahoma employers in STEM fields. These efforts are intended as a basis on which future funding proposals will be written to pilot and evaluate interventions at the focal institution, with the goal of ultimately scaling these interventions to other institutions, including higher education, K-12, and tribal communities, as appropriate.