ENGAGING AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENTS IN EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE THROUGH A CULTURALLY-BASED, HANDS-ON SUMMER LEARNING OPPORTUNITY

Native Americans remain severely underrepresented in the geosciences, despite a clear need for qualified geoscience professionals within Tribal communities. To address this need, we have developed the American Summer Institute in Earth System Science (AISIESS), a two-week residential program for high school students. During the AISESS program, students spend one week camping on the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians reservation and one week on the UC Irvine campus. During both weeks, students learn about Earth System Science through interactive discussions and hands-on laboratory and field exercises. Each week also incorporates Native studies courses, visits from native STEM professionals, evening talking circles, and other cultural activities. The program culminates with a “mini-conference” wherein students present research projects on a geoscience issue relevant to their own tribal communities. Previous research on learning indicates the most successful Earth Science curricula for Native American students share three common features (Riggs, 2007): (1) a strong emphasis on “place-based”, experiential, outdoor learning, (2) inclusion of relevant indigenous knowledge, and (3) involvement of native community members, elders, and educators. Our program addresses these requirements through immediate immersion in field-projects on tribal lands, frequent interaction with the tribal community and tribal environmental professionals, inclusion of native educators, and completion of a capstone project on a specific earth or environmental science issue that is particularly relevant to their own tribal communities. A pre-post evaluation design includes a survey aimed at capturing student background, attitudes, and knowledge about completing high school, and attending college. Also included in the pre-post design, students were tested on Earth System Science topics aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. Lastly, focus groups were conducted with participants immediately after the Institute to capture qualitative data about their experiences in the field and at the University. Significant positive gains resulting from the program include strong increases in Native American identity, college preparedness, peer support, and knowledge of and interest in geoscience.