Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Indigenous students are scientists and leaders for both Indigenous and scientific communities. Graduate programs and industry jobs in aquaculture, fisheries, and natural resources management are highly competitive, and scientists that have dedicated research experience, and training on how to apply for these jobs have a greater chance of advancing in the field. The purpose of this project is to provide a pathway for the next generation of Indigenous scientists and scholars to train and engage in research science. This will prepare them for aquaculture or natural resources graduate school programs, or a pathway directly to the food, aquaculture, or natural resources workforce (FANH). This proposal includes Student Scholarship Projects (SSP), providing tuition scholarships for graduate students. It also includes Experiential Learning Projects (ELP) in the form of high-quality undergraduate summer research internships using graduate students as peer-mentors and provides access to industry partners. Lastly it produces Outreach and Engagement Projects (OEP) that look toward sustaining the program. The partnership between Northwest Indian College and University of California Santa Cruz will recruit Indigenous students, provide qualifications to join the FANH workforce or attend graduate school, bring diverse experience to food science and natural resource industries, and contribute to the retention of the next generation of Indigenous leaders and scientists.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The purpose of this project is to provide a pathway for the next generation of Indigenous scientists and scholars to train and engage in research science, and prepare them to access careers in state or federal food science through graduate school or direct to the workforce.Goal 1: Experiential Learning Projects (ELP): Train the next generation of Indigenous scientists and leaders by providing paid internships for Indigenous undergraduate students who are interested in aquaculture or natural resources jobsObjective 1: Recruit Indigenous undergraduate students entering their junior and senior years in accredited programs for environmental science from tribal colleges or other land-grant institutions to complete an 8-week summer internshipObjective 2: Introduce students to targeted summer research and instrument training, focused on community-identified projects, inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge, and food and data sovereigntyObjective 3: Introduce students to industry and federal FANH workforce opportunities with targeted engagement with shellfish harvesters and aquaculture programs.Goal 2: Student Scholarship Program: Prepare students to apply to graduate school degrees in marine science, climate science, or aquaculture.Objective 1: Provide guidance, application materials, mentoring, and facilitate network connections for students interested in graduate schoolObjective 2: Provide 1-year of full tuition scholarships to any US institution graduate program in environmental science to competitive seniors who complete two summers of internshipsGoal 3: Experiential Learning Project: Create awareness and pathways for students to learn from industry, state, and USDA/NIFA partners in aquaculture.Objective 1: Identify graduate students, research faculty, and industry partnerships that will facilitate completion of student internshipsObjective 2: Identify opportunities for scalability and sustainability of the internship programGoal 4: Outreach Education Project: Build resilience by looking towards the future.Objective 1: Develop an asynchronous course providing an overview of environmental science opportunities, specifically for FANH pathwaysObjective 2: Give back to the community by participating in K-12 Summer Science camps
Project Methods
REU program: Students will be recruited from Tribal Colleges and Universities, as well as through other land-grant institutions. A competitive application will be produced and evaluated by the CITL evaluation center at UCSC prior to recruitment. Each year there will be a pre-internship and post-internship survey, developed with help from CITL and analyzed to guide the next cohort year.Student research: Students will complete targeted summer research, engaging in activities and projects broadly related to water quality and aquaculture in Washington and California. Students will be encouraged to incorporate Indigenous Knowledge into their projects. Students will have opportunities to present their research to aquaculture, Indigenous community meetings, and scientific conferences.Graduate school applications: Students will be provided with guidance through the graduate school application process, and online materials will be developed and made available.Development of an asynchronous course introducing students to FANH career pathways: The PDs will develop a course that will introduce students to FANH careers. PDs will gather guest modules that include input from industry, academic, and tribal partners.Community outreach events: Summer interns will be provided with the opportunity to engage with Indigenous K-12 youth through summer science camps, and include student trainings on water quality, aquaculture, and marine science. PDs will facilitate these partnerships.