MINORITY UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND ADVANCING THE STEM DISCIPLINES

The University of New Mexico’s branch campus in Gallup has a population of ~3000 students, 88% of which are minorities, mostly Native Americans, the largest such population of any U.S. university. Most come from the Navajo and Zuni Reservations and typically have limited experience in math or science prior to attending the college. In an effort to motivate these students toward scientific professions, we have provided opportunities to conduct research projects so that students can gain hands-on analytical experience addressing environmental issues of local interest. Support for these projects has come from WAESO and NSF.

Many of our Native students view the environment from a traditional framework that emphasizes the interconnectedness of natural systems, but find the abstract precepts of mathematical data, analysis, and interpretation more difficult. They commonly balance traditional views of the Earth and its resources with the ever-increasing need to address growing environmental problems on the reservations from a scientific viewpoint. Conducting data collection and analysis with a hands-on, result-oriented approach can build a direct connection between environmental issues and scientific data and science research.

We have conducted several projects over the past 5 years involving undergraduate students. Students were involved with all aspects of the research, including fieldwork, sample preparation, instrument analysis, and data interpretation. The first project examined lake-core sites both upwind and downwind from the large coal-burning power plants in northeastern NM to determine if the lake sediments record any variation in airborne pollution attributable to coal combustion. Research on this topic extended over several semesters and involved 7 Native American undergraduate students. The second project examined the distribution and concentration of radionuclides in and around the Gallup area associated with historic uranium mining and milling. Five minority undergraduate students participated in this project. This summer, one of our students is working on a project on beaver effects on stream channel morphology and processes in Montana. Of the 13 students involved in these projects, 8 have continued their studies within STEM disciplines, with a few entering graduate programs.