The five tribal colleges in North Dakota play a key role in educating the state's American Indian students and are positioned to contribute to the preparation of these members of the region's largest minority population for careers in biomedical research. The North Dakota Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program is made possible by collaboration between the five tribal colleges located in the state: Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Fort Berthold Community College, Sitting Bull College, Turtle Mountain Community College, and United Tribes Technical College; the University of North Dakota (UND); and select faculty from North Dakota State University (NDSU). The goals of the program are to increase awareness, interest and motivation among tribal college students for pursuit of biomedically related degrees beyond the Associate of Arts; to complement and supplement existing efforts at the tribal colleges to provide educational experiences that prepare students academically to transition to four-year programs; and to foster the existing collaboration and cooperation among the faculty and administrators of the tribal colleges. Working collaboratively, facilitated by the PI, the group will develop, implement, and evaluate inquiry-based introductory chemistry and biology courses for the tribal colleges. Advanced graduate students in the natural and life sciences will be recruited from UND and NDSU to spend one semester at each of the five tribal colleges each year of the grant. Under the guidance of the tribal college Program Coordinator and the co-investigator they will assume responsibility for one introductory science course and the accompanying lab. With instructional responsibility in only one course, the GTIs will have opportunity for individualized attention to students. They will also be charged with completing activities designed to recruit tribal college students to post-associates degree studies in the biomedical sciences and to serve as role models or mentors to the students. Successful implementation of this project will result in active participation of tribal college students in inquiry-based laboratory coursework and supplemental career opportunity activities under the guidance of a specially trained instructor. This project is expected to facilitate the ability and desire of tribal college students to continue in the sciences beyond the AA degree and to result in development of curricula that other colleges with high enrollments of American Indian students could utilize in promoting science among these students. ? ?
