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Table 1. Demographic data collected from REU* participants from 2012–2017
No. students Age range >25 years old Parents No. of students who consider
(%) (avg.) (%) (%) place important (%)
All REU participants 98 18–54 (26) 31 (32%) 26 (27%) 49 (50%)
Native American 41 19–54 (29) 25 22 27
REU participants (42% of total) (61% of Native (54% of Native (66% of Native students)
students) students)
*REU—Research Experience for Undergraduates.
findings occurs at different levels—locally important and interrelated place, commu- place-based and community-based partici-
to tribal governments as well as nationally. nity, and family were for Native American patory research, and all mentors and partici-
students in particular. In interviews, stu- pants are trained in this approach. The hope
SUCCESS OF THE SLAWR MODEL dents noted that while it was difficult to is that this experience will prepare Native
AND LESSONS LEARNED balance family responsibilities with the Americans to fill resource management
responsibilities required of the REU, accom- positions and prepare the next generation of
Data collected from participants (Table 1) modations for family made it possible to researchers in best practices for doing
highlight the importance of place and com- participate in the project when they would research on tribal lands.
munity for Native American participants. not have otherwise been able. Leaders also
When project evaluators asked students if responded to student feedback indicating ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
the location of the REU site influenced par- needed clarity on how or why their projects
ticipation in the summer program, about half were community-based because planning The REU projects are currently funded by the
said “yes,” which was not necessarily sur- occurred before the students arrived onsite. National Science Foundation EAR 1461006, and
prising. What was surprising were responses In response, the leaders made the connec- were funded by 2012–2014 NSF EAR 1420467 and
that students provided to the open-ended tions with the projects and local communi- 2011–2012 NSF EAR 1156984.
question of why place mattered. A thematic ties more explicit and included more CBPR
content analysis of all responses from Native material as part of orientation. REFERENCES CITED
American students revealed that the major-
ity listed family responsibilities (36%) and NEXT STEPS Dalbotten, D., Haacker-Santos, R., and Zurn-
being close to home (28%) as reasons they Birkhimer, S., 2014, New voices: The role of
selected and applied for the REU-SLAWR. The REU-SLAWR completed its sixth undergraduate geoscience research in supporting
Others noted interest in the unique land- season and continues to refine its model to alternative perspectives on the Anthropocene,
scape of the area (14%), the place-based best support the needs of the diverse stu- in Dalbotten, D., Roehrig, G., and Hamilton, P.,
nature of the research projects (14%), and dents who participate each year. In addition eds., Future Earth—Advancing Civic Under-
working in Native communities (8%) as fac- to annual project evaluation, the project standing of the Anthropocene: New York, John
tors that played into their decision to apply. leaders are planning to conduct a longitudi- Wiley & Sons, p. 77–88.
In comparison, non-Native students who nal analysis of student data collected since
indicated that place was important identified the start of the REU to identify the most Haacker, R., 2015, From recruitment to retention:
the landscape/geography and field-based influential model elements that recruit, sup- Nature Geoscience, v. 8, p. 577–578, https://
research topics as reasons why they applied port, and retain students from underrepre- www.doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2501.
to the REU, with far fewer noting family sented groups in the geosciences. These
responsibilities or proximity to their home as essential elements can be used as a model Huntoon, J.E., Tanenbaum, C., and Hodges, J.,
reasons they decided to participate. for other REUs who wish to broaden partici- 2015, Increasing diversity in the geosciences:
pation in the geosciences. Eos, v. 96, 9 March 2015, doi:10.1029/
These responses to the importance of 2015EO025897, https://eos.org/project-updates/
location were different than expected, but The REU-SLAWR is developing new increasing-diversity-in-the-geosciences (last
understandable given that the Native approaches to undergraduate research that accessed 17 May 2018).
American REU-SLAWR students were, on focus on place-based projects that are rel-
average, slightly older and made up the evant to students and their communities. Kober, N., 2015, Reaching Students: What Research
majority of the participants with children A few of the things that the REU-SLAWR Says about Effective Instruction in Undergraduate
(85%). The data from participants suggest does to support diversity in the program Science and Engineering: Washington, D.C.,
that physical proximity of the REU site to include: (1) ensure that students have a National Academies Press, 256 p.
their homes helped facilitate Native stu- paycheck the day they arrive; (2) encour-
dent participation by allowing participants age students to let the leaders know if they National Science Foundation, National Center for
to meet their family obligations while also have any cultural events (e.g., powwow) or Science and Engineering Statistics, 2017, Women,
gaining research experience. That research other issues and make allowance for these Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Sci-
topics were locally relevant was also an things; (3) value and incorporate tradi- ence and Engineering: 2017: Arlington, Virginia,
important draw as participants were aware tional knowledge and cultural information Special Report NSF 17-310, http://www.nsf.gov/
that their research findings would directly and encourage students to share it; and statistics/wmpd/ (last accessed 24 May 2018).
impact their home communities in which (4) put students on teams and emphasize
the research was conducted. teamwork over individual success. Singer, S., Nielsen, N., and Schweingruber, H.,
editors, 2012, Discipline-Based Education
As the project evolved, student feedback The REU-SLAWR offers a new paradigm Research: Understanding and Improving Learn-
helped REU leaders appreciate how for undergraduate research that incorporates ing in Undergraduate Science and Engineering:
Washington, D.C., National Research Council,
www.geosociety.org/gsatoday National Academies Press, 282 p.
Manuscript received 19 Oct. 2017
Revised manuscript received 9 May 2018
Manuscript accepted 11 May 2018
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