Broadening the Participation of Native Americans in Earth Science by Nievita Bueno Watts A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Approved May 2011 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Dale Baker, Chair Bryan Brayboy Eric Margolis ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY August 2011 ABSTRACT Climate change is not a thing of the future. Indigenous people are being affected by climate changes now. Native American Earth scientists could help Native communities deal with both climate change and environmental pollution issues, but are noticeably lacking in Earth Science degree programs. The Earth Sciences produce the lowest percentage of minority scientists when compared with other science and engineering fields. Twenty semi-structured interviews were gathered from American Indian/ Alaska Native Earth Scientists and program directors who work directly with Native students to broaden participation in the field. Data was analyzed using qualitative methods and constant comparison analysis. Barriers Native students faced in this field are discussed, as well as supports which go the furthest in assisting achievement of higher education goals. Program directors give insight into building pathways and programs to encourage Native student participation and success in Earth Science degree programs. Factors which impede obtaining a college degree include financial barriers, pressures from familial obligations, and health issues. Factors which impede the decision to study Earth Science include unfamiliarity with geoscience as a field of study and career choice, the uninviting nature of Earth Science as a profession, and curriculum that is irrelevant to the practical needs of Native communities or courses which are inaccessible geographically. Factors which impede progress that are embedded in Earth Science programs include educational preparation, academic information and counseling and the prevalence i of a Western scientific perspective to the exclusion of all other perspectives. Intradepartmental relationships also pose barriers to the success of some students, particularly those who are non-traditional students (53%) or women (80%). Factors which support degree completion include financial assistance, mentors and mentoring, and research experiences. Earth scientists can begin broaden participation by engaging in community-inspired research, which stems from the needs of a community and is developed in collaboration with it. Designed to be useful in meeting the needs of the community, it should include using members of the community to help gather and analyze data. These community members could be students or potential students who might be persuaded to pursue an Earth Science degree. ii There are those who go out of their way to help us along our pathways. These guides are our mentors. Whether our contact encompasses minutes, hours, days, years, or even decades, the truth became inalienably clear during the course of this work: it only takes one. It only takes one mentor to move your life in a direction you had not dreamed possible. You did not dream it possible because you did not know it existed, but s/he did. I have been blessed with many mentors during my journey towards my doctorate. This document is dedicated to those mentors. First, the dedicated leadership of SACNAS, who scooped me up and carried me along, always whispering ―Si, se puede‖. It was at the 2008 SACNAS conference where the idea for this dissertation was born. My thanks go to Maria Teresa Velez, my McNair advisor, who always makes me believe in myself and tells me how proud she is of me every time I see her, and Aaron Velasco, geologist and past president of SACNAS who always remembers me and gives me a hug, no matter how busy he is. I thank you. To Diana Dalbotten, leader of the Geoscience Alliance, who took me around and personally introduced me to the people who would later agree to be my study participants, I thank you. To the rest of the members, too numerous to mention by name, I appreciate all the conversations you had with me, no matter the length. I thank you. To Dale R. Baker, my advisor and friend. Thank you for all the times you talked to me and all the times you just listened. I was fortunate to have the office next door. To Eric Margolis, thank you for encouraging us to think about research iii in new ways, and letting our imaginations soar. To Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy, thanks for providing us with a safe space to explore our pain, and ways to use it to open doors a little wider for others to come through, and teaching us to use our bond and our work to keep those doors propped open. To Steven Semken, thanks for helping to keep my feet in Earth Science while my head was exploring education. To Ray Barnhardt and all my friends in the Cross Cultural studies class, thanks for sharing Alaska with me. To the Athabascan Elders and their families, thank you for allowing me to pitch my tent on the beautiful banks of the Tanana River in your fish camp. I learned a great deal about tradition, wisdom, respect, and taking our places as knowledge bearers that week. I also saw first-hand what climate changes are doing to your ways of life. I hope this work contributes to solutions for your problems in some small way. To my husband, Neil A. Watts, who made me believe that this project was worth pursuing, thanks for always grounding me in reality. Of course I also thank our children and extended family, Nievita, Daniel, Charlie, Tenorio, Antonio, Dominique, Denise, Christa, Krystal and Claudia for their support, encouragement, and phone calls. And of course a special thanks to our beautiful grandchildren, Miss Vivian, Isaun, Safiya and Milanni for giving me a reason to keep smiling and moving forward every day. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Geoscience Alliance provided partial funding for conference and travel in support of this work. SACNAS provided partial funding for conference and travel in support of this work. This work would not have been possible without the support of members of these two organizations, and their willingness to contribute by allowing themselves to be interviewed. The author wishes to thank Dale R. Baker, Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy, Eric Margolis, Diana Dalbotten, Anthony Berthelote, Suzanne Zurn-Birkhimer, Jacquelyn Bolman, Holly Pellerin, Lowana Greensky, Nandini McClurg, Joseph Jessepe, Susan Eriksson, Vanessa Green, Wendy Smythe, William McHenry, Mary Atwater, Aaron Velasco, Steven Semken, Lina Patino, Marilyn Suiter, Cheryl Berg, Gita Perkins, Tapati Sen, Fatima Alhashem, Stephanie Touchman, and Krista Adams for their support and contribution to this research. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................... x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................... 6 Environmental Stewardship ............................................................... 6 Economic Development ................................................................... 16 Educational Equity ............................................................................ 22 Research Questions ........................................................................... 27 Barriers .............................................................................................. 27 Barriers to a College Education ........................................................ 28 Minorities in College ........................................................................ 38 Minorities in Science ........................................................................ 43 American Indians in Earth Science .................................................. 44 Supports ............................................................................................ 46 3 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................... 49 Theoretical Framework..................................................................... 49 Research Methods ............................................................................. 52 4 DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS ................................................. 57 Participant Descriptions .................................................................... 57 Demographics ................................................................................... 70 vi CHAPTER Page Educational Background .................................................................. 75 Going to College ............................................................................... 86 Challenges or Obstacles Attempting to Enroll................................. 91 Effect of Location of Institution on Program Completion Rates ... 95 Interest in Earth Science ................................................................... 96 Challenges and Barriers to Studying the Earth .............................. 104 Factors Which Impede Obtaining a College Degree ..................... 105 Factors Which Impede the Decision to Study Earth Science ........ 120 Factors Embedded in Earth Science Programs .............................. 130 Supports for Native Students Studying the Earth .......................... 174 Financial Assistance ......................................................................