IRES Track II: Multidisciplinary Training on Wildlife and Natural Resource Conservation From an Indigenous Perspective

目前在保护科学方面的突破突显了将本土认识方式与西方科学相结合以应对生物多样性保护的复杂挑战的关键重要性。需要不断地将土著了解的方式与西方保护生物多样性的科学方法相结合；然而，土著人口在科学领域的代表性严重不足。该项目为美洲原住民学生提供了利用他们的背景的机会，同时通过参加印度的两个为期13天的高级研究所(ASI)，同时从其他知识体系获得科学专业知识和全球经验，从而满足了这一需求。ASI的重点是提供野生动物管理和自然资源保护科学方面的实践和实地研究和学习机会。每个ASI每年将有10名美国研究生和同样数量的印度学生参加。美国的参与者仅限于那些认为自己是美洲原住民的人；通过竞争过程选择。ASI的目标是通过在野生动物和自然资源保护科学领域的重大国际合作研究培训、指导和网络，为美洲原住民研究生提供全球视野和专业成长机会。这个项目的意义在于，它将来自美国和印度的美洲原住民学生、印度学生和教师聚集在一起，提供一种旨在培养美国原住民学生在社会和生物物理科学方面的能力的多元文化、动态的学习体验。该项目还为传统上代表性不足的学生群体提供了一个机会，与其他土著学生合作，建立社区和全球意识，需要他们的独特视角来帮助解决不仅在美国和印度，而且在世界范围内的复杂问题。ASI将培养学生在国际背景下进行多学科研究，培养将走在世界保护和野生动物管理科学前沿的年轻专业人员。然后，这些学生将能够应用他们的科学背景来促进美洲原住民土地和人民的健康和福利。ASI的研究主题建立在社会-生态系统思维中，包括社会和生物物理科学。ASI将涵盖技术方面、生物物理方面和人体方面。其中包括关于保护、保护生物学、景观生态学、生态恢复和野生动物管理的土著和参与性观点。该项目整合了科学和技术，以考虑生态原则和环境条件，目的是平衡野生动物的需要和人民的需要。学生将首先在课堂上学习这些主题，然后通过实地体验，利用我们的合作机构印度野生动物研究所(Wii)提供的独特研究设施和现场站点，该研究所是野生动物管理和自然资源保护科学应用研究的全球领先者。学生们将在前往印度之前参加一个虚拟会议和研讨会。在印度期间，将鼓励参与者参与文化体验，使他们接触印度的历史和文化，为他们的工作提供背景。将为ASIS建立一个基于网络的虚拟学习平台，用于招募、参与者网络、虚拟会议和研讨会，并提供活动和结果的摘要。该项目由NSF国际科学与工程办公室(OISE)和既定的激励竞争研究计划(EPSCoR)联合资助。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。

Current breakthroughs in conservations sciences highlight the critical importance of integrating indigenous ways of knowing with western science in order to address the complex challenges of biodiversity conservation. There is a need to continually blend Indigenous ways of knowing with western scientific approaches to biodiversity conservation; however, Indigenous populations are severely underrepresented in scientific fields. This project fills that need by providing opportunities for Native American students to use their backgrounds while gaining scientific expertise and global experience from other knowledge systems by participating in two, 13-day Advanced Study Institutes (ASI’s) in India that focus on providing hands-on and field-based research and learning opportunities in wildlife management and natural resource conservation sciences. Each ASI will have 10 U.S. graduate student participants and the same number of participants from India per year. U.S. participants are limited to those who identify as Native American; to be chosen through a competitive process. The objective of the ASI’s is to provide Native American graduate students a global perspective and opportunities for professional growth through significant international collaborative research training, mentoring and networking in the fields of wildlife and natural resource conservation sciences. The significance of this project is that it brings together Native American students, Indian students, and faculty from the US and India to provide a multi-cultural, dynamic learning experience designed to build the competencies of Native American students in social and biophysical sciences. This project also offers an opportunity for a traditionally underrepresented student population to work with fellow Indigenous students in building community and global awareness where their unique perspective is needed to help solve complex problems not only in the U.S. and in India, but worldwide. The ASI’s will train students to conduct multidisciplinary research in an international context, building young professionals who will be at the forefront of world conservation and wildlife management sciences. These students will then be equipped to apply their scientific background to advance the health and welfare of Native American lands and people. The research themes for the ASI’s are founded in social-ecological systems thinking and include social and biophysical sciences. The ASI’s will cover technical aspects, biophysical aspects and human dimensions. These include indigenous and participatory perspectives on conservation, conservation biology, landscape ecology, ecological restoration, and wildlife management. The project provides the integration of science and technologies to consider both ecological principles and environmental conditions with the aim of balancing the needs of wildlife with the needs of the people. Students will study each of these themes first in the classroom and then through field experiences by leveraging the unique research facilities and field sites available through our partner institution, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), a global leader in applied research in wildlife management and natural resource conservation sciences. Students will participate in a virtual conference and workshop before traveling to India. While in India, participants will be encouraged to participate in cultural experiences that will expose them to the history and culture of India, providing context to their work. A web-based virtual learning platform will be built for the ASIs and used for recruitment, participant networking, virtual conferences and workshops, and provide a summary of the activities and outcomes.This project is jointly funded by the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.