ICE-TI: STEM Expansion at TMCC

部落学院和大学计划（TCUP）的一个目标是提高为美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。扩大这些机构的STEM课程设置和研究能力，可以扩大学生在STEM领域追求具有挑战性、回报丰厚的职业的机会，为可能具有文化意义的领域提供研究，并鼓励社区和一代人认识到科学和数学在劳动力准备和解决生活质量问题方面的作用。该项目直接符合这一目标，而且将增加TCU的学位授予能力，为海龟山保留地的居民带来更高级别的STEM教育机会（地理上、社会上和经济上）。龟山社区学院（TMCC）将在其教育项目中开发一个经认证的环境科学学士学位，并将通过推广和研究招募退伍军人和K-12学生，从而提高对STEM作为农村经济弱势地区职业选择的兴趣和赞赏。增加STEM教师的数量将大大提高学院或学院可以进行的研究水平和数量。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

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 and research capacity at these institutions expands the opportunities of 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 the role of science and mathematics in workforce preparation and addressing quality-of-life issues. This project aligns directly with that goal, and moreover will increase the degree-granting capacity of a TCU, bringing upper division STEM educational opportunities within reach (geographically, socially, and financially) for residents of the Turtle Mountain Reservation. Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC) will develop an accredited BS in environmental science to its slate of educational offerings, and will include the recruitment of veterans and K-12 students by inclusion in outreach and research, thereby increasing the interest in and appreciation of STEM as a career option in a rural, economically disadvantaged region. Increasing the number of STEM faculty will significantly increase the level and volume of research that can be conducted at or by the college.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.