Indigenous Program for Stem Research and a Regional Native Network of Graduate Education: A National Research and Educational Model

美国印第安人在研究生水平的科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）研究和教育中的代表性不足，是一个必须解决的问题，以保障美洲原住民社区和国家的未来，并确保一支可行、健康的国家STEM劳动力队伍。该项目创建了一个土著STEM研究和研究生教育（isstem）国家计划，重点是由九所高等教育机构组成的区域土著网络（RN2）。由爱达荷大学领导的系统旨在增加获得STEM领域硕士和博士学位的美洲原住民学生的数量。STEM项目是一个独特的国家项目，提供全面的STEM研究生培训，以满足美洲原住民的需求和愿望。在与部落社区和美国原住民国家咨询委员会协商后，ISTEM通过合作方式（RN2）解决了美国原住民研究生及其部落的特定需求，以招聘，研究设计和保留STEM研究生。在项目期间，系统系统是部分试验性的，正在根据评估进行程序修改。智力优势系统科学与技术系统的课程和方案结构的许多组成部分是从现有的模式中提取的，这些模式在培养来自代表性不足的少数民族的研究生方面是有效的。该计划将包括公认的和实验性的组成部分，包括：(1)有美洲印第安人投入的新的教学模式；(2)基于学生与利益相关者互动的队列模型的协作性跨学科研究；(3)将STEM纳入社会和文化背景，使知识理论融入良好的教与学。该项目的研究结果将为未来STEM研究生教育的项目设计提供参考，并鼓励研究如何为未被充分代表的人群提供更有效的研究生教育。更广泛的影响ISTEM项目的重点是从一个代表性不足的群体，即美国的美洲印第安人中培养一批核心的STEM专业人员。该项目通过为美国印第安学者提供研究设施和方法来探索与部落和美洲原住民土地和人民有关的持续问题，从而直接造福社会。此外，isstem正在通过RN2推进STEM的发现和理解，RN2是一种以利益相关者为中心的合作研究和教育设计方法。系统概念是可扩展的，适用于该国的其他地区，并将在项目结束后由合作校园维持。

The underrepresentation of American Indian people in graduate level science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research and education is an issue that must be addressed in order to safeguard the future of Native American communities and Nations, and to ensure a viable, healthy, national STEM workforce. This project creates a national program for Indigenous STEM Research and Graduate Education (ISTEM) that has a focus of a Regional Native Network (RN2) of nine institutions of higher education. Led by the University of Idaho, ISTEM aims to increase the number of Native American students obtaining Masters and PhD degrees in STEM fields. The ISTEM program is a unique national program that provides comprehensive STEM graduate training to address the needs and desires of Native American peoples. In consultation with tribal communities and a Native American national advisory board, ISTEM addresses the specific needs of both Native American graduate students and their tribes through a collaborative approach (RN2) to recruitment, research design, and retention of STEM graduate students. During the project period, ISTEM is partially experimental with ongoing program modifications based on assessment.Intellectual MeritMany components of the ISTEM curriculum and programmatic structure are drawn from existing models that have been effective in the training of graduate students from underrepresented minority populations. The program will incorporate both accepted and experimental components, including: (1) new modalities of teaching and learning that have American Indian input; (2) collaborative, interdisciplinary research based on a cohort model of students interacting with stakeholders; and (3) situating STEM into social and cultural contexts so that the theory of knowledge is woven into good teaching and learning. The results of the program will inform future program design in graduate STEM education, and encourage research into delivering more effective graduate education to underrepresented segments of the population.Broader ImpactsThe ISTEM program is focused on the creation of a core of STEM professionals from an underrepresented group, namely American Indian peoples of the United States. The program directly benefits society by providing American Indian scholars access to research facilities and methodologies for exploring ongoing issues of concern to tribal and Native American lands and peoples. Additionally, ISTEM is advancing STEM discovery and understanding through RN2, its collaborative, stakeholder-centric approach to research and education design. The ISTEM concept is scalable and adaptable to other regions of the country, and will be sustained by partner campuses once the project ends.