Dr. Raymond Barnhardt is a professor of Anthropology and Educational Administration at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Dr. Barnhardt has organized a three-day conference on science education for Alaskan Native peoples. This conference will bring together science educators, scientists, and representatives of Alaskan Native organizations, especially the Alaska Federation of Natives. The conference participants will formulate a long-term agenda for improving science instruction for native children. One special focus of the conference will be the integration of Native tradition with the practice of western scientific traditions, in the setting of small rural fishing villages. This conference will produce a report outlining an agenda and priorities for future action. Alaskan Native people have been underrepresented in the scientific and engineering disciplines. Science education programs for native children have been designed by non-natives, commonly resulting in a failure to integrate native traditions and culture with instructional content and delivery. The proposed conference will be the first meeting that brings together representatives of the Alaskan Native people and representatives of the non-native scientific and educational communities. The action plan and agenda produced by this conference will have the potential to catalyze significant improvements in science education.
