Progress 03/01/16 to 02/28/21
Outputs
Target Audience:This program is designed to serve a growing number of tribal and non-tribal students who are poised to bring their talents, experience and perspectives into environmental problem solving. Just as ecological landscapes are linked functionally and spatially by connectivity among watersheds, intellectual and educational landscapes are coupled by the connectivity of ideas and the flow of students among institutions. We conceive of this movement of students from headwaters and tributaries to the main stem rivers as the dominant metaphor for our educational partnership. The tribal colleges, such as our partner Salish Kootenai College (SKC) represent the headwaters of higher education for many Native American students, where students receive their fundamental training in a culturally-embedded system, and where support for and understanding of TEK is strong. Students graduating from these programs carry cultural knowledge and as they seek BS and MS training, they carry TEK with them, into research universities where SEK is generally the dominant paradigm. Navigating these new waters can be a tremendous challenge and many Native American students leave higher education as a result. Our proposed program creates a 'safe harbor' in the academic landscape for Native and non-Native students alike. ESF is internationally recognized as a world-class research university and a leader in graduate education in the environment. At the same time, it is also a small school with a specialized mission and a student-centered climate. We reach out to our partners to form a multi-region educational watershed, where the best practices of the tribal colleges can flow to the research university, creating a route for indigenous students to gain outstanding graduate education which honors the traditional knowledge they carry. With true synergy, the TEK and the SEK will flow in both directions, as students bring TEK to enrich sustainability science and the SEK tools are carried back in service to lands and people. Thus, our cross-regional focus is creating an intellectual watershed for the mingling of TEK and SEK from students from a diversity of indigenous cultures, from Montana nations represented at Salish Kootenai College to Haudenosaunee students in New York State. Research questions associated with biocultural restoration, conservation biology and sustainability science are of highest priority among tribal communities and are also the educational focus at ESF. Our project benefits both undergraduate and graduate student populations, as well as faculty and community members, thus multiplying the impact of our new curriculum. The required new course in Biocultural Restoration will benefit both graduate students at ESF and undergraduates at SKC, as we have devised a plan to coordinate these classes for mutual benefit. The curriculum will also serve other graduate students from any of the 20+ graduate programs at ESF who opt to take one of more of the new courses. Undergraduates benefit not only from the enriched Restoration Ecology class at SKC, but from research experiences. We will offer research apprenticeships to 4 undergraduates from SKC and ESF to work in partnership with the graduate student researchers during the summer, for mutual benefit and for potential recruiting into subsequent graduate cohorts after the funding period ends. The entire program will extend its benefits into 10 the community of tribal environmental professionals and community members who are influenced by the research, through development of environmental education materials Changes/Problems:The objectives related to graduate student training and program development at SUNY ESF were largely achieved, as described above.The importantexeption inthat while the students were highly successful in their coursework and thesis proposal development, completion of the theses has proved a challenge. We recognize the multiple levels of reponsibility borne by our students and the extraordinary chalenges of research embedded in community priorities. We applaud the resilience of our students and understand that this must be factored in to funding timetables to provide the time required for these demanding and meaningfulprojects. The partnership approach between SUNY ESF and our tribal college partner began with excellent mutual learning exchanges and close collaboration. We are grateful for the insights of our partners in helping to shape the resulting graduate program to best serve the students and wish to reciprocate the learning. The same level of collaboration became difficult to sustain in later years, due to a range of factors for both institutions,including changes in personnel and workload considerations. There was most certainly benefit for both partners, as well asdesire for greater collaboration. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The entire project is an opportunity for training amd professional development of Indigenous graduate students as described above. Professional development for faculty was also a comnent, through development of mantoring strategies and a faculty mentoring workshop, How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During this funding period the following objectives have been accomplished: 1. We successfully recruited 5 Indigenous graduate students to fill the 3 funded positions. Two of those students decided to pursue their degrees elsewhere. The three continuing students successfully completed all graduate coursework, research proposals and preliminary data collection, but have not completed their theses.While personal circumstances have delayed completion ofall degree requirements, all are currently employed in their fields and tribal communities using the skills and experiences gained in the program. We view this as successful contribution to the next generation of Indigenous environmental professionals nd continue to encourage and support thesis writing to completion. 2. The experience of this Sowing Synergy program enabled us to learn better how to support the academic and professional development of Indigenous graduate students to integrate traditional ecological knowledge and western scientfic tools. As a faculty group, we were able to experiment with and evaluate a variety of approaches which included: An orientation/team building weekend workshop in the fieldwhich included all students as well as the mentoring team., a weekly mentoring and professional development seminar that created group cohesion and leadership opportunities, travel to and participation in events with other Indigenous graduate students such as AISES and the Indigenous Climate Change Working Group, organized opportunities for graduate students to serve as campus leaders in bringing attention to pluralism in ways of knowing, including Indigenous knowledge. We came to better recognize and support the mutiple levels and priorities of accountability and responsiblity experienced byIndigenous graduate students, including family and community responsibilities 3. We designed and delivered 2 new graduate courses (Biocultural Restoration and Integration of Traditional and Scientific Ecological Knowledges) to served our Sowing Synergy cohort as well as other graduate students on campus. These courses erewell received and the Biocultural Restoration class has become a regular course offering and a conceptual framework for research and outreach actvities for the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. 4). The Sowing Synergy cohort and course members presented twocampus-wide workshops on integration of traditional and scientific knowledges. The target audience was both faculty and graduate students. Graduate student participation was very strong and faculty attendance was limited. 5) The leadership activities of the Sowing Synergy cohort contributed to an ongoing cultural shift in our institution, toward greater awareness and inclusion of indigenous knowledge in environmentalproblem solving. The activities associated with the Sowing Synergy program have had a ripple effect across the instiution, supporting our inclusion in the Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership which continues to build on the lessons learned and to support an ongoing and expanded cohort of Indigenous graduate students. ESF now has a graduatearea of study devoted to Indigenous Environmental Knowledge.In sum, the NIFA Sowing Synergy funding served as an important catalyst and learning experiencefor developing our current programs supporting integration of Indigenous and wsetern scientific knowledges.
Publications
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Progress 03/01/19 to 02/29/20
Outputs
Target Audience:This program is designed to serve a growing number of tribal and non-tribal students who are poised to bring their talents, experience and perspectives into environmental problem solving. Just as ecological landscapes are linked functionally and spatially by connectivity among watersheds, intellectual and educational landscapes are coupled by the connectivity of ideas and the flow of students among institutions. We conceive of this movement of students from headwaters and tributaries to the main stem rivers as the dominant metaphor for our educational partnership. The tribal colleges, such as our partner Salish Kootenai College (SKC) represent the headwaters of higher education for many Native American students, where students receive their fundamental training in a culturally-embedded system, and where support for and understanding of TEK is strong. Students graduating from these programs carry cultural knowledge and as they seek BS and MS training, they carry TEK with them, into research universities where SEK is generally the dominant paradigm. Navigating these new waters can be a tremendous challenge and many Native American students leave higher education as a result. Our proposed program creates a 'safe harbor' in the academic landscape for Native and non-Native students alike. ESF is internationally recognized as a world-class research university and a leader in graduate education in the environment. At the same time, it is also a small school with a specialized mission and a student-centered climate. We reach out to our partners to form a multi-region educational watershed, where the best practices of the tribal colleges can flow to the research university, creating a route for indigenous students to gain outstanding graduate education which honors the traditional knowledge they carry. With true synergy, the TEK and the SEK will flow in both directions, as students bring TEK to enrich sustainability science and the SEK tools are carried back in service to lands and people. Thus, our cross-regional focus is creating an intellectual watershed for the mingling of TEK and SEK from students from a diversity of indigenous cultures, from Montana nations represented at Salish Kootenai College to Haudenosaunee students in New York State. Research questions associated with biocultural restoration, conservation biology and sustainability science are of highest priority among tribal communities and are also the educational focus at ESF. Our project benefits both undergraduate and graduate student populations, as well as faculty and community members, thus multiplying the impact of our new curriculum. The required new course in Biocultural Restoration will benefit both graduate students at ESF and undergraduates at SKC, as we have devised a plan to coordinate these classes for mutual benefit. The curriculum will also serve other graduate students from any of the 20+ graduate programs at ESF who opt to take one of more of the new courses. Undergraduates benefit not only from the enriched Restoration Ecology class at SKC, but from research experiences. We will offer research apprenticeships to 4 undergraduates from SKC and ESF to work in partnership with the graduate student researchers during the summer, for mutual benefit and for potential recruiting into subsequent graduate cohorts after the funding period ends. The entire program will extend its benefits into 10 the community of tribal environmental professionals and community members who are influenced by the research, through development of environmental education materials Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The entire project is dedicated to training and professional development as described above. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During this funding period the following objectives have been accomplished: 1. We successfully retained Native American graduate students to fill the 3 funded positions. 2. We designed and delivered 2 new graduate courses (Biocultural Restoration and Integration of Traditional and Scientific Ecological Knowledges) which served our Sowing Synergy cohort as well as other graduate students on campus. 3. The Sowing Synergy cohort participated in the weekly Sowing Synergy seminar for two semesters which focused on development of research proposals, professional communication skills , cohort mentoring and cultural support. 4. Building on the lessons learned in our productive collaboration with our partners, we have supported the academic, personal and professional development of our cohort of Native American graduate students. Those students completed coursework and initiated development of a research proposal and are currently engaged in research activities. 5. The Sowing Synergy cohort and course members presented a campus-wide workshop on integration of traditional and scientific knowledges. The target audience was both faculty and graduate students. Graduate student participation was very strong and faculty attendance was limited.
Publications
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Progress 03/01/18 to 02/28/19
Outputs
Target Audience:This program is designed to serve a growing number of tribal and non-tribal students who are poised to bring their talents, experience and perspectives into environmental problem solving. Just as ecological landscapes are linked functionally and spatially by connectivity among watersheds, intellectual and educational landscapes are coupled by the connectivity of ideas and the flow of students among institutions. We conceive of this movement of students from headwaters and tributaries to the main stem rivers as the dominant metaphor for our educational partnership. The tribal colleges, such as our partner Salish Kootenai College (SKC) represent the headwaters of higher education for many Native American students, where students receive their fundamental training in a culturally-embedded system, and where support for and understanding of TEK is strong. Students graduating from these programs carry cultural knowledge and as they seek BS and MS training, they carry TEK with them, into research universities where SEK is generally the dominant paradigm. Navigating these new waters can be a tremendous challenge and many Native American students leave higher education as a result. Our proposed program creates a 'safe harbor' in the academic landscape for Native and non-Native students alike. ESF is internationally recognized as a world-class research university and a leader in graduate education in the environment. At the same time, it is also a small school with a specialized mission and a student-centered climate. We reach out to our partners to form a multi-region educational watershed, where the best practices of the tribal colleges can flow to the research university, creating a route for indigenous students to gain outstanding graduate education which honors the traditional knowledge they carry. With true synergy, the TEK and the SEK will flow in both directions, as students bring TEK to enrich sustainability science and the SEK tools are carried back in service to lands and people. Thus, our cross-regional focus is creating an intellectual watershed for the mingling of TEK and SEK from students from a diversity of indigenous cultures, from Montana nations represented at Salish Kootenai College to Haudenosaunee students in New York State. Research questions associated with biocultural restoration, conservation biology and sustainability science are of highest priority among tribal communities and are also the educational focus at ESF. Our project benefits both undergraduate and graduate student populations, as well as faculty and community members, thus multiplying the impact of our new curriculum. The required new course in Biocultural Restoration will benefit both graduate students at ESF and undergraduates at SKC, as we have devised a plan to coordinate these classes for mutual benefit. The curriculum will also serve other graduate students from any of the 20+ graduate programs at ESF who opt to take one of more of the new courses. Undergraduates benefit not only from the enriched Restoration Ecology class at SKC, but from research experiences. We will offer research apprenticeships to 4 undergraduates from SKC and ESF to work in partnership with the graduate student researchers during the summer, for mutual benefit and for potential recruiting into subsequent graduate cohorts after the funding period ends. The entire program will extend its benefits into 10 the community of tribal environmental professionals and community members who are influenced by the research, through development of environmental education materials Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The entire project supports training and professional development for Ntive American graduate students. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During this funding period the following objectives have been accomplished: 1. We successfully retained Native American graduate students to fill the 3 funded positions. 2. We designed and delivered 2 new graduate courses (Biocultural Restoration and Integration of Traditional and Scientific Ecological Knowledges) which served our Sowing Synergy cohort as well as other graduate students on campus. 3. The Sowing Synergy cohort participated in the weekly Sowing Synergy seminar for two semesters which focused on development of research proposals, professional communication skills , cohort mentoring and cultural support. 4. Building on the lessons learned in our productive collaboration with our partners, we have supported the academic, personal and professional development of our cohort of Native American graduate students. Those students completed coursework and initiated development of a research proposal and are currently engaged in research activities. 5. The Sowing Synergy cohort and course members presented a campus-wide workshop on integration of traditional and scientific knowledges. The target audience was both faculty and graduate students. Graduate student participation was very strong and faculty attendance was limited
Publications
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Progress 03/01/17 to 02/28/18
Outputs
Target Audience:This program is designed to serve a growing number of tribal and non-tribal students who are poised to bring their talents, experience and perspectives into environmental problem solving. Just as ecological landscapes are linked functionally and spatially by connectivity among watersheds, intellectual and educational landscapes are coupled by the connectivity of ideas and the flow of students among institutions. We conceive of this movement of students from headwaters and tributaries to the main stem rivers as the dominant metaphor for our educational partnership. The tribal colleges, such as our partner Salish Kootenai College (SKC) represent the headwaters of higher education for many Native American students, where students receive their fundamental training in a culturally-embedded system, and where support for and understanding of TEK is strong. Students graduating from these programs carry cultural knowledge and as they seek BS and MS training, they carry TEK with them, into research universities where SEK is generally the dominant paradigm. Navigating these new waters can be a tremendous challenge and many Native American students leave higher education as a result. Our proposed program creates a 'safe harbor' in the academic landscape for Native and non-Native students alike. ESF is internationally recognized as a world-class research university and a leader in graduate education in the environment. At the same time, it is also a small school with a specialized mission and a student-centered climate. We reach out to our partners to form a multi-region educational watershed, where the best practices of the tribal colleges can flow to the research university, creating a route for indigenous students to gain outstanding graduate education which honors the traditional knowledge they carry. With true synergy, the TEK and the SEK will flow in both directions, as students bring TEK to enrich sustainability science and the SEK tools are carried back in service to lands and people. Thus, our cross-regional focus is creating an intellectual watershed for the mingling of TEK and SEK from students from a diversity of indigenous cultures, from Montana nations represented at Salish Kootenai College to Haudenosaunee students in New York State. Research questions associated with biocultural restoration, conservation biology and sustainability science are of highest priority among tribal communities and are also the educational focus at ESF. Our project benefits both undergraduate and graduate student populations, as well as faculty and community members, thus multiplying the impact of our new curriculum. The required new course in Biocultural Restoration will benefit both graduate students at ESF and undergraduates at SKC, as we have devised a plan to coordinate these classes for mutual benefit. The curriculum will also serve other graduate students from any of the 20+ graduate programs at ESF who opt to take one of more of the new courses. Undergraduates benefit not only from the enriched Restoration Ecology class at SKC, but from research experiences. We will offer research apprenticeships to 4 undergraduates from SKC and ESF to work in partnership with the graduate student researchers during the summer, for mutual benefit and for potential recruiting into subsequent graduate cohorts after the funding period ends. The entire program will extend its benefits into 10 the community of tribal environmental professionals and community members who are influenced by the research, through development of environmental education materials. Changes/Problems:The Sowing Synergy program funded by USDA supports three Masters-level graduate students. We were also able to recruit and support two additional students using other financial resources, which increased the size of the cohort to five. Unfortunately, 1 of the 5 students decided to leave the program prior to completion to attend to pressing family health issues. She subsequently enrolled in a Master's program near to her home reservation in order to continue to pursue the research direction she developed in the Sowing Synergy program, while supporting her family, so she continues on the intended path in higher education. We regret that this students did not complete their degrees in our program but support their choices to attend to their priorities. The intended cohort of three Native students remains and the students are making good progress. A challenge has been to coordinate effectively with our tribal college partner. During the first year of learning and planning, we had a very strong collaboration with mutual benefit. Our subsequent goal had been to collaborate on a shared course in biocultural restoration, but we have not yet accomplished this goal. One SKC faculty member gave an excellent presentation in our fall semester Biocultural Restoration class for which we are grateful and plan on reciprocation. All were invited to attend student presentations in the second semester, but were unable to participate. Issues of different semester schedules ( semester vs trimester) between institutions has been a challenge to overcome, as well as the simple demands of time available. Our goal for the next funding period is to improve efforts at communication and outreach to strengthen the collaboration. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?As described above, most of the accomplishments of the project are in the realm of training and professional development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next phase, we are supporting the graduate students in their research implementatoin and thesis writing.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During this funding period the following objectives have been accomplished: We successfully recruited graduate students to fill the 3 funded positions. We had 2 other highly qualified applicants so accepted them as well, supported by a different funding source for a total cohort of 5 Native American graduate students. We designed and implemented an orientation/team building weekend workshop at the Cranberry Lake Biological Station which included all students as well as the mentoring team. We designed and delivered 2 new graduate courses (Biocultural Restoration and Integration of Traditional and Scientific Ecological Knowledges) which served our Sowing Synergy cohort as well as other graduate students on campus. The Sowing Synergy cohort participated in the weekly Sowing Synergy seminar for two semesters which focused on development of research proposals, professional communication skills , cohort mentoring and cultural support. Building on the lessons learned in our productive collaboration with our partners, we have supported the academic, personal and professional development of our cohort of Native American graduate students. Those students completed coursework and initiated development of a research proposal and are currently engaged in research activities. The Sowing Synergy cohort and course members presented a campus-wide workshop on integration of traditional and scientific knowledges. The target audience was both faculty and graduate students. Graduate student participation was very strong and faculty attendance was limited. We participated in evaluation activities with our evaluation team Native Pathways, Inc.
Publications
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Progress 03/01/16 to 02/28/17
Outputs
Target Audience:This program is designed to serve a growing number of tribal and non-tribal students who are poised to bring their talents, experience and perspectives into environmental problem solving. Just as ecological landscapes are linked functionally and spatially by connectivity among watersheds, intellectual and educational landscapes are coupled by the connectivity of ideas and the flow of students among institutions. We conceive of this movement of students from headwaters and tributaries to the main stem rivers as the dominant metaphor for our educational partnership. The tribal colleges, such as our partner Salish Kootenai College (SKC) represent the headwaters of higher education for many Native American students, where students receive their fundamental training in a culturally-embedded system, and where support for and understanding of TEK is strong. Students graduating from these programs carry cultural knowledge and as they seek BS and MS training, they carry TEK with them, into research universities where SEK is generally the dominant paradigm. Navigating these new waters can be a tremendous challenge and many Native American students leave higher education as a result. Our program creates a 'safe harbor' in the academic landscape for Native and non-Native students alike. ESF is internationally recognized as a world-class research university and a leader in graduate education in the environment. At the same time, it is also a small school with a specialized mission and a student-centered climate. We reach out to our partners to form a multi-region educational watershed, where the best practices of the tribal colleges can flow to the research university, creating a route for indigenous students to gain outstanding graduate education which honors the traditional knowledge they carry. With true synergy, the TEK and the SEK will flow in both directions, as students bring TEK to enrich sustainability science and the SEK tools are carried back in service to lands and people. Thus, our cross-regional focus is creating an intellectual watershed for the mingling of TEK and SEK from students from a diversity of indigenous cultures, from Montana nations represented at Salish Kootenai College to Haudenosaunee students in New York State. Research questions associated with biocultural restoration, conservation biology and sustainability science are of highest priority among tribal communities and are also the educational focus at ESF. Our project benefits both undergraduate and graduate student populations, as well as faculty and community members, thus multiplying the impact of our new curriculum. The required new course in Biocultural Restoration will benefit both graduate students at ESF and undergraduates at SKC, as we have devised a plan to coordinate these classes for mutual benefit. The curriculum will also serve other graduate students from any of the 20+ graduate programs at ESF who opt to take one of more of the new courses. Undergraduates benefit not only from the enriched Restoration Ecology class at SKC, but from research experiences. The entire program will extend its benefits into the community of tribal environmental professionals and community members who are influenced by the research, through development of environmental education materials. During this funding period we have supported 3 Native American graduate students. An additional 22 graduate students have enrolled in and completed the graduate courses designed and implemented for the Sowing Synergy Program. Changes/Problems:At the end of the reporting period, we learned that one of our team members, Dr. Jack Manno will be retiring. We plan to replace his role with the inclusion of Neil Patterson, Assistant Director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment and member of the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The reciprocal visits between partner institutions described provided faculty and professional development opportunities for all partners. Skills and insights in best practices for mentoring Native American graduate students were advanced and then put into practice in curriculum development workshops. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Our goal during the next reporting period is to have recruited, oriented and initiated the first cohort of Sowing Synergy graduate students and to implement the courses that we are designing.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
2016-17 During this "Learning From Each Other" phase of the project, we have held 2 planning and design workshops with our collaborative partners at the Salish Kootenai College and Hopa Mountain, Inc. In July a team from SUNY ESF visited our Montana partners for a 4 day workshop in which we built collaborative face to face relationships, learned about our partner institution and visited potential research sites on the Flathead Reservation with our colleagues. We discussed plans for student recruitment, retention, design of mentoring activities, scheduling of coursework and research and student support services. The meetings were extremely helpful as our tribal college partners shared their expertise in designing and implementing programs to support indigenous science students. We developed a list of "best practices" that will be used to inform our program design. In November, we held a second workshop; this time our Montana partners came to SUNY ESF for continued design sessions. They were accompanied by several Indigenous students who were interested in potential participation in our shared program. Our meetings focused on elements of curriculum design, a student orientation program, research priorities and faculty development to support mentorship. Building upon the guidance from our partners, the SUNY ESF Sowing Synergy team held two curriculum design workshops, with the outcome of completing course outlines, learning objectives and preliminary syllabi. The process of recruiting our first cohort of graduate students was initiated with dissemination of announcements at a range of conferences and through on-line outlets.
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