This Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) project will add the following expansion schools to the Indigenous Alliance: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Idaho, and University of North Dakota. Under the leadership and guidance of the founding institution, the University of Alaska Anchorage, each of these Alliance Universities has formed a partnership with high schools and industrial participants. The goal of this project, which builds upon and adds to an existing alliance of six institutions--University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Hawai?i Manoa, University of Washington, Kapiolani Community College, and Kuskokwim Community College?is to effect a systematic change in the hiring patterns of Indigenous Americans in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by increasing the number of individuals on a career path to leadership in STEM fields. Basic to the work of each of these teams is the Pre-College portion of the model. Each team works with high schools and industrial partners in order to establish computer labs in Native communities and/or in schools with substantial indigenous populations. In the labs, high school students assemble computers, train on specific engineering and science software packages, and teach others how to build computers. Students are required to successfully complete chemistry, physics, and trigonometry prior to graduation. Students who meet all of the programmatic requirements earn the right to keep the computer. The work will advance the knowledge and understanding of key elements that serve to motivate native students and to sustain their interest through successful degree completion.
While the project focuses primarily on the replication of the pre-college model developed at the University of Alaska Anchorage, it will also contribute to the strengthening of the STEM pipeline including summer bridge programs, university retention programs, and graduate education at the participating universities. The proposed pre-college project has the potential to bring about a substantial increase in the number of Indigenous Americans studying engineering and other STEM fields at the participating universities. NSF funding will be substantially leveraged by matching funds from participating universities and their industry school system partners.
Partners central to this Indigenous Alliance activity include University of Alaska Anchorage(lead institution), universities: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Idaho, and University of North Dakota; high schools: Lapwai Junior-Senior HS (Nez Perce), Four Winds Community High School; Boulder Valley Schools; Leadership Institute: Boulder Valley Schools; non-academic organizations: Ford Foundation, Sloan Foundation, 3M, and J.D. Abrams Native American Support Fund; evaluator(also a non-academic organization): Urban Institute.
