Judith Brown Clarke, Ph.D, OLY

The objective of this research was to identify obstacles to Native American/Alaska Natives in STEM disciplines and to develop an effective model allowing students to successfully overcome these obstacles. This was done by discussions with elders and tribal leaders to provide guidance as to what they thought was important for students to know and to gain permissions on the use of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). TEK was then coupled with STEM disciplines to teach basic science concepts… Show more

The objective of this research was to identify obstacles to Native American/Alaska Natives in STEM disciplines and to develop an effective model allowing students to successfully overcome these obstacles. This was done by discussions with elders and tribal leaders to provide guidance as to what they thought was important for students to know and to gain permissions on the use of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). TEK was then coupled with STEM disciplines to teach basic science concepts using a knowledge base students were familiar with, for example weaving of traditional baskets requires and understanding of algebra, chemistry, biology. Our findings showed that place and inquiry based science education model that incorporated TEK into STEM disciplines resulted in a change in student perceptions of what a scientist is and who is/can be a scientist. Students self-identity changed as they began to associate their TEK and life experiences with STEM disciplines. Coupling TEK with STEM lead to the development and implementation of culturally relevant curriculum In the one tribal community there was an increase in students attending college or trade school, 5% to 75% over eight years.

Our goal is to empower Native students to use their traditional knowledge systems coupled with STEM (western science), providing students a better understanding of the world around them. In addition we aim to show students how they can retain their native identity within STEM disciplines, which is often an obstacle many students find difficult to address and overcome. Show less

Without an understanding of evolution, members of the public are unlikely to fully grasp many important issues necessary for the understanding science. In addition, evolutionary science plays an important role in advancing many other STEM disciplines. In stark contrast to the importance of the evolutionary sciences, is its enigmatic acceptance by the general American public. This acceptance is also not uniform within African American, Hispanic, and American Indian populations, who show higher… Show more

Without an understanding of evolution, members of the public are unlikely to fully grasp many important issues necessary for the understanding science. In addition, evolutionary science plays an important role in advancing many other STEM disciplines. In stark contrast to the importance of the evolutionary sciences, is its enigmatic acceptance by the general American public. This acceptance is also not uniform within African American, Hispanic, and American Indian populations, who show higher rates of rejection of evolutionary reasoning. In an effort to advance our scientific community, it is imperative that we recruit highly quality students from an ever-increasing diverse population.

Methods
To examine why underrepresented minorities may not choose careers in evolutionary sciences, we surveyed 184 people who have chosen to pursue a career in science. The two questions we examined were: (1) what factors influence the career choices of underrepresented minorities (URMs) interested in science? and (2) what factors influence these URM students to choose careers in other sub-disciplines in biology rather than careers in evolutionary science? A survey was created from previously published research, and our analysis examined statistical differences between different racial/ethnic groups.

Results
Our data suggest there are significant differences among racial/ethnic groups in factors that appear to influence their career paths, specifically African Americans and non-Puerto Rican Hispanic/Latino(a)s place greater emphasis on the presence of people of similar racial/ethnic background. Additionally we found differences between the URM groups in terms of their interest in, and understanding of, evolutionary biology; which appears to result in less likelihood of choosing careers in evolutionary science. And for some African Americans, reluctance to pursue evolutionary biology may be tied to holding misconceptions about evolution and higher levels of religiosity. Show less