This proposal will build on prior research conducted during three NSF-tcup projects at chief dull knife college (cdkc) over the past fifteen years and one NASA ELO project currently in its final…

This is a $502,367.49 cooperative agreement awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to Chief Dull Knife College, Inc., a tribal college located on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. The award aims to address barriers that have prevented Native American students from participating in NASA internships and transferring to 4-year universities to complete their bachelor's degrees. The project builds on prior National Science Foundation and NASA-funded initiatives at the college focused on place-based STEM research and student support. Though the original solicitation is not provided, the agreement appears intended to develop a stepwise approach to prepare students for success at NASA centers and 4-year institutions. There is no set-aside designation mentioned. Chief Dull Knife College is a minority-owned, non-profit educational institution that has received various federal grants and contracts to support its operations, facilities, and programs benefitting Native American communities.

This proposal will build on prior research conducted during three NSF-tcup projects at chief dull knife college (cdkc) over the past fifteen years and one NASA ELO project currently in its final year of implementation. The proposal addresses a key issue which has surfaced over the fifteen year period which began with sending students to research universities for a summer experience away from the reservation. We found that many students did not apply for summer positions at universities, citing economic and cultural impediments. This barrier was addressed with a major effort to transfer student research experiences to the tribal college setting. As a result of place-based research, students have developed some research capability and confidence with stem area course work. A major benefit of this more recent approach is students who are involved with research during their studies at the two-year college tend to remain engaged longer in the educational process. An unintended result of the process has been that while we have prepared students for summer opportunities at NASA centers and university research labs, they have not chosen to participate, mainly because leaving the reservation poses a major hurdle. This hurdle poses an additional barrier since the tribal college cannot complete the students education and they must transfer to a university to finish a bachelor s degree. Data shows applications from tribal college students through ossi for NASA internships has steadily declined from 113 in 2013 to only 27 in 2016, resulting in an equivalent decline in placements from 52 in 2013 to 0 in 2016. To address this representation crisis we have developed the following objectives and strategies to prepare students in a stepwise fashion for success first at a NASA site and then at a major university campus.