TSIP: Building a Student Research and STEM Pathway at FDLTCC

A goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities of specific institutions of higher education. Expanding the STEM curricular offerings at these institutions expands the opportunities of their students to pursue challenging rewarding careers in STEM fields, provides for research studies in areas that may be locally or economically significant, and encourages a community and generational appreciation for science and mathematics education. Sustainability of capacity gains is significantly enhanced by retaining the talent of credentialed STEM faculty. This project aligns directly with that goal. Fond du Lack Tribal and Community College (FdLTCC) is expanding its research experiences for undergraduates project to include more discipline-specific areas of study; engaging STEM faculty in professional development that expands their capacity to lead undergraduate research experiences, and facilitating the instructors' embedding of research experiences into the existing STEM curriculum. This project addresses the STEM instructional capacity of the institution in a sustainable way that will impact multiple cohorts of FdLTCC STEM students. The project's impacts are further assured by the participation of local experts that support the various research studies. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2531058 | Program: 04002627DB NSF STEM Education | Principal Investigator: Courtney Kowalczak | Institution: Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, CLOQUET, MN | Award Amount: $500,000 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2531058 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2531058.html