SSC-9353287 New Mexico Museum of Natural History Albuquerque, NM Matthew, Kathryn and McGuire, Susan "Minority Family Workshop: Water Ecology Project" The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science seeks to improve the science literacy of Native American middle school students through an expansion of its successful Water Ecology Project. This program takes Native American youngsters, a group that is under-represented in science, and exposes them to hands-on activities to give them a more realistic understanding of science careers. To carry out this project, partnerships have been formed between the Museum and governmental agencies and educational institutions. These partnerships have been designed to provide middle school students with a broad exposure to science-based careers in New Mexico. Using water quality monitoring as a theme unifies all of the student activities associated with this project. Water quality, water conservation, and the ecology of riparian areas are of great concern to the arid southwestern US. This theme has been chosen to facilitate the involvement of whole families and rural communities in the program. The community-and family-support produced through the choice of this theme is intended to reinforce the shifts in student attitudes toward science. Thus, this project is wellsuited for Native American students whose sense of self if often strongly influenced by family.
