9322466 NASH This award provides funds for a Research Experience for Undergraduates Site project to involve students in the ongoing study of contemporary socio-cultural change among the highland Mayan and Mexican national (ladino or mestizo) communities of Chiapas, southeastern Mexico. The project director is a seasoned investigator with career-long experience of research in this area. Eight students will be selected from among applicants in the undergraduate colleges of the City University of New York and the State University of New York. Students will be trained in the methods of anthropological field research. They will be involved in development projects such as artisan cooperatives, reforestation, cash crop production, tourism, bilingual education, midwifery, and other initiatives that the Mexican government is now promoting. In addition to the field research, students will attend a week of orientation classes, weekly seminars by the project director on field techniques, and weekly meetings with field workers who are carrying out research in the region. At the end of the summer, students will be expected to share research findings with colleagues through publication and translation. This award contributes to the Foundation's continuing efforts to attract talented students into careers in science through active undergraduate research experiences. ***
