THE GEOSCIENCE ALLIANCE - CARRYING FORWARD ANCESTRAL KNOWLEDGE TO WORK THROUGH TODAY'S CHALLENGES--A REPORT ON THE FOURTH NATIONAL GEOSCIENCE ALLIANCE CONFERENCE

The Geoscience Alliance (GA) is a national alliance of individuals committed to broadening participation of Native Americans in the geosciences. Its members are faculty and staff from tribal colleges, universities, and research centers; native elders and community members; industry and corporate representatives; students (K12, undergraduate, and graduate); formal and informal educators; and other interested individuals. The goals of the Geoscience Alliance are to 1) create new collaborations in support of geoscience education for Native American students, 2) establish a new research agenda aimed at closing gaps in our knowledge on barriers and best practices related to Native American participation in the geosciences, 3) increase participation by Native Americans in setting the national research agenda on issues in the geosciences, and particularly those that impact Native lands, 4) provide a forum to communicate educational opportunities for Native American students in the geosciences, and 5) to understand and respect indigenous traditional knowledge.

After our initial planning meeting in 2009, we have held four national conferences over the last decade. We will share results of our most recent conference held in Phoenix, Arizona in January 2019 -- GA4: Carrying Forward Ancestral Geoscience Knowledge to Work through Today’s Challenges. In addition, we will discuss the successes we have had in assisting our members navigate the academic pathway through their geoscience degrees and into the geoscience workforce, as well as some challenges our members still face.