Call for Student Participants

 

We are inviting you to participate in an upcoming National Science Foundation funded workshop focused on Mentoring Our Own Native Scientists (MOONS). It will take place between Sept 19-21, 2018 at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. For full consideration as a fully funded participant, please apply by June 30, 2018. Application details included below.

 

The purpose of the workshop is to discuss solutions to the many challenges American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students face along the academic path toward advanced STEM degrees. This is important because it has been reported by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (2018) that Native students are the only minority group in the United States with declining numbers of students in STEM disciplines. The goal is to inform the FIRST (Facilitating Indigenous Research, Science, and Technology) network of scholars currently working to reverse this trend with innovative ideas to aid in their efforts.

 

We are expecting a group of 40 U.S. and International Native scholars interested in discussing solutions to the many challenges Native students face along the academic path toward advanced STEM degrees including:

 

  • Preparing Native undergraduates for graduate study
  • Developing and running a mentoring network
  • Creating mentors and advocates
  • Working with ‘gatekeepers’ within the academia
  • Building alliances with Native organizations

 

Application Process:

 

Students interested in participating in the workshop must submit (1) a 500-word statement about how the workshop relates to their academic pursuits and (2) a letter from their undergraduate/graduate advisor indicating they are in good academic standing.

 

Applications must be sent in electronic form by emailing them to Mandy Frank (mandy.frank@ku.edu) as attachments in MS Word or Adobe pdf format by June 30, 2018. Funding will be awarded to approximately 5-7 applicants and covers travel to/from your home/Lawrence, lodging in Lawrence, travel to/from lodging/Haskell, and per diem for travel dates.

 

The Workshop Steering Committee will review all applications and expect to notify successful applicants by July 20, 2018.