Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** indigenous students are…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** indigenous students are scientists and leaders for both indigenous and scientific communities. Graduate programs and industry jobs in aquaculture, fisheries, and natural resources management are highly competitive, and scientists that have dedicated research experience, and training on how to apply for these jobs have a greater chance of advancing in the field. The purpose of this project is to provide a pathway for the next generation of indigenous scientists and scholars to train and engage in research science. This will prepare them for aquaculture or natural resources graduate school programs, or a pathway directly to the food, aquaculture, or natural resources workforce (fanh). This proposal includes student scholarship projects (SSP), providing tuition scholarships for graduate students. IT also includes experiential learning projects (ELP) in the form of high-quality undergraduate summer research internships using graduate students as peer-mentors and provides access to industry partners. Lastly IT produces outreach and engagement projects (OEP) that look toward sustaining the program. The partnership between northwest indian college and university of california santa cruz will recruit indigenous students, provide qualifications to join the fanh workforce or attend graduate school, bring diverse experience to food science and natural resource industries, and contribute to the retention of the next generation of indigenous leaders and scientists.