Mentoring Our Own Native Scientists: 2021 MOONS Workshop Report
Abstract
The goal of the MOONS workshop was to inform the Facilitating Indigenous Research, Science, and Technology (FIRST) Network of scholars, and other Native scientists, currently working on these issues with innovative ideas to aid in these efforts. The FIRST Network is an interdisciplinary group of Native scholars all working at the intersection of Indigenous and Western scientific traditions to explore how Indigenous communities are utilizing both traditions to meet their research needs, particularly regarding their efforts to sustain resilient ecosystems. The overall goal of this Network is to develop strategies for meeting the research needs of Indigenous communities, including the capacity to lead their own research initiatives.
Description
The Mentoring Our Own Native Scientists (MOONS) workshop took place from September 19-21, 2018 at Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU). The purpose of the MOONS workshop was to discuss the many challenges Native students face along the academic path toward advanced STEM degrees, and possible solutions, such as mentorship and alliance building. There were 37 participants in the MOONS workshop who represented 25 institutions, of which 11 were minority serving institutions and three were international. There were 12 guest speakers, including four speakers from KU and HINU, three speakers from Hawaiʻi, and one from New Zealand. Additionally, three student associates assisted with notetaking and the recording of sessions. The MOONS workshop was structured through a framework of identified challenges that prevent Native students from applying for, and completing STEM graduate degrees, and discussions that analyze potential solutions. The MOONS workshop participants identified and engaged in a discussion of four (4) challenge-based questions:1. How to prepare Native undergraduates for graduate study?2. What goes into developing and running an Indigenous student mentoring network?3. How to assist non-Native and Native faculty in becoming advocates and mentors for Native students?4. How to work with ‘gatekeepers’ within academia and to build alliances with Native organizations?The discussions and findings from the workshop were compiled in to the MOONS Report, which includes recommendations for the four (4) challenge-based questions.
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Citation
Johnson, J.T. (2021). Mentoring Our Own Native Scientists: 2021 MOONS Workshop Report. Lawrence, Kansas, September 19-21, 2018. The Center for Indigenous Research, Science, and Technology. KU ScholarWorks: http://hdl.handle.net/1808/32148
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