THE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATES ON SUSTAINABLE LAND AND WATER RESOURCES AND THE GEOSCIENCE ALLIANCE NETWORK--WORKING HAND IN HAND TO PROMOTE BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN THE GEOSCIENCES

The Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) on Sustainable Land and Water Resources is a partnership between the University of Minnesota, Salish Kootenai College, and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The REU is unique in that it provides students the opportunity to learn about community-based participatory research and protocols for collaborating on research with Native American reservations. The student teams are located on two reservations and a third team does research at the University of Minnesota's St. Anthony Falls Laboratory. Each year, research projects are selected with guidance from our partner reservations so that students are working on projects that directly support research themes that are of value to the reservation communities. The REU has built strong relationships between the University of Minnesota, Salish Kootenai College and our partner native tribal communities as well as educating and inspiring our undergraduate participants. The Geoscience Alliance is a national network that was developed to support broadening participation of Native Americans in the Geosciences and is directed in part by the project directors of the REU. The close relationship between the Alliance and the REU has supported recruiting for this REU and other undergraduate and graduate programs. The Geoscience Alliance brings together tribal colleges, universities, and research centers; native elders and community members; students (K12, undergraduate and graduate); formal and informal educators; and other interested individuals. We support networking that leads to broadened opportunities for Native American and other diverse students. This relationship has helped the REU to become one of the most diverse in the geosciences, with strong participation by Native Americans.