SEPA in New Mexico

描述(由申请人提供)：美国印第安人和西班牙裔美国人在科学领域的代表性历来不足，最近从拉美裔入学人数较高的机构和部落学院毕业并获得科学和工程学士学位的美国印第安人和西班牙裔学生人数稳步下降。此外，癌症、2型糖尿病和肥胖症等慢性疾病是美国印第安人和拉美裔人、缺乏经济资源的人以及居住在农村地区的人的发病率和死亡率的不成比例的原因。美国印第安人和拉美裔人在科学界的代表性较低，加上这些人口中慢性病的发病率较高，这构成了严重的国家挑战。根据国家卫生研究院的说法，这一挑战的潜在解决办法是加强预防和人口科学的研究基础设施，增加科学中代表性不足的人的研究培训和职业机会，并向公众通报预防和人口科学研究的最新进展。我们通过一个面向部落和非部落(主要是西班牙裔)中学的学生、他们的科学教师、家庭和新墨西哥州农村社区的多方面科学丰富计划来应对这一全国性的挑战。该计划是一项以学校和社区为基础的健康教育和参与性研究计划，融合了代际和基于科学探究的学习经验，以探索预防慢性病的研究、促进健康的营养和体育活动。我们的目标是： (1)通过增加研究、营养和体育活动单元来加强中学的科学课程，以培养学生对科学事业的兴趣；(2)为学生实施全面的指导计划，以确保跨代学习；(3)为科学和健康教师提供专业发展活动，以发展以证据为基础的科学课程的可持续技能；(4)提高家庭和广大社区对预防和人口科学研究的最新进展的认识；以及(5)评估科学丰富计划的效果。我们以中国UNM在学校和社区为基础的预防研究方面的广泛专业知识为基础。我们利用以社区为基础的健康教育和参与式研究方法来实施循证课程，以提高学生对科学和科学方法的理解和兴趣。此外，我们将在科学教师和新墨西哥州大学的研究人员之间发展充满活力的伙伴关系，并将促进社区对当前卫生科学进展的了解。最后，我们将通过门户网站和其他传统和非传统场所广泛宣传该项目，以便迅速采用通过该项目开发的有效课程和其他研究工具。 公共卫生相关性(由申请者提供)：该项目将通过使用创新技术和教育战略，培养和培养学生对科学职业的兴趣。此外，该项目将提供基于研究的证据，证明创新技术(基于门户网站的研究任务和迷你游戏)和教育战略(实践社区、代际指导)在增加对慢性病的知识和提高对科学事业的兴趣方面的成效。同样重要的是，对新墨西哥州农村部落和非部落社区的重视将涉及招募和留住在研究领域，特别是预防和人口科学研究中任职人数不足的个人的国家优先事项。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): American Indians and Hispanics have historically been under-represented in the scientific fields and recently there has been a steady decline in the number of American Indian and Hispanic students graduating with science and engineering bachelor's degrees from high Hispanic enrollment institutions and Tribal colleges. Further, chronic diseases such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, and obesity are a disproportionate cause of morbidity and mortality among American Indians and Hispanics, people who lack economic resources, and those who reside in rural geographies. The lower representation of American Indians and Hispanics in the sciences coupled with higher prevalence of chronic diseases among these populations poses a serious national challenge. According to the National Institutes of Health, potential solutions to this challenge are to enhance the prevention and population sciences research infrastructure by increasing research training and career opportunities for people under-represented in the sciences and to inform the public about the latest advances in prevention and population sciences research. We address this national challenge through a multi- faceted science enrichment program aimed towards students enrolled in tribal and non-tribal (predominantly Hispanic) middle schools, their science teachers, families, and the community at large in rural New Mexico. The program is a school- and community-based health education and participatory research program that incorporates intergenerational and science-inquiry based learning experiences to explore research, health promoting nutrition, and physical activity for the prevention of chronic diseases. The aims are to: (1) enhance the science curriculum in the middle schools through the addition of modules on research, nutrition, and physical activity so as to foster interest in science careers among the students; (2) implement a comprehensive mentoring program for the students to ensure intergenerational learning; (3) provide professional development activities for the science and health teachers so as to develop sustainable skills for the development of evidence-based science curricula; (4) enhance the awareness among families and the community at large about the latest advances in prevention and population sciences research; and (5) evaluate effectiveness of the science enrichment program. We build on the UNM PRC's extensive expertise in school- and community- based prevention research. We utilize community-based health education and participatory research methods to implement the evidence-based curriculum that will increase student understanding and interest in science and the scientific methods. Further, we will develop dynamic partnerships between science teachers and UNM researchers, and will promote the community's understanding of current advances in health sciences. Lastly, we will broadly disseminate the project through a web-portal and other traditional and non-traditional venues to facilitate a quick adoption of the effective curriculum and other research tools developed through the project. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE (provided by applicant): This project will, through the use of innovative technologies and educational strategies, foster and nurture interest among students about careers in the sciences. Further, the project will provide research-based evidence on the efficacy of innovative technologies (web-portal based research quests and mini games) and educational strategies (communities of practice, intergenerational mentoring) on increasing knowledge about chronic diseases and increasing interest in careers in the sciences. Equally importantly, the emphasis on rural New Mexico tribal and non-tribal communities will address national priorities for the recruitment and retention of individuals under-represented in research fields, especially prevention and population science research.