Diversity Enhancement News

In an effort to bring demographic and diversity issues to the forefront of iUTAHns’ minds, 72 participants met for an All-Hands Meeting in Salt Lake City. This year’s meeting was held on November 13, 2015 at the Natural History Museum of Utah.

In her opening remarks, iUTAH Project Director Michelle Baker discussed developments, activities, initiatives, and the positive evaluation from the Year 4 Reverse Site Visit with the National Science Foundation. She also recognized iUTAH as a catalyst for “communicating lessons learned, relationships forged, mindsets changed, and cultures transformed, ” urging participants to continue to communicate their successes to the iUTAH Project Office, and the greater community of stakeholders and constituents of which we are a part.

The morning keynote address was given by Pamela Perlich, Director of Demographic Research at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, at the University of Utah, who talked about understanding the changing demographics of Utah, asserted that “change is our constant companion.”

In a conversation after her talk, Perlich said “an important and urgent reality to consider is that we have new people in our community who are not being given a voice, not being given the opportunity to be a part of important decision-making processes. Their inclusion in our problem solving, in our creative processes, would lead us to better solutions more quickly.”

“Humans have solved problems long before there were markets, or money, or even numbers, let alone data,” said Perlich, adding that “Data is just information.”

In addition to formal talks, much time was devoted to networking and the sharing of information. Over lunch, iUTAH postdoctoral scholars Rachel Gabor, Melissa Haeffner, Krishna Khatri, and Erik Oerter gave updates on their work. The importance of dialogue and exchanges such as these were expressed in Melissa’s talk as she said, “you mention water in Utah, and people start talking.”

Later in the afternoon, Angela Enno, Program Coordinator with the Multicultural/Access and Diversity Center at Utah State University discussed collective identity. Her talk focused on promoting the participation of diverse groups of students, faculty, and staff in STEM fields.

Drawing on data from her work with the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), Enno shared the preliminary results of interviews focused on measuring the importance of helping minority groups find communities in higher education.

The last part of the day was devoted to RFA breakout sessions, where thoughts, ideas, and actions were discussed.

The next iUTAH All-Hands Meeting is scheduled for April 6, 2016, and will be held in conjunction with the Spring Runoff Conference at Utah State University in Logan, Utah.

One of iUTAH’s core missions is the education and diversification of the next generation of our state’s STEM workforce. To help us achieve this mission, iUTAH has supported the production of a new book on water by author/educator Nancy Bo Flood, who has published several books written from a Navajo perspective. “Water Runs Through This Book,” illustrated by Jan Sonnenmair’s photographs, weaves science and poetry together to stimulate awareness of and a conservation ethic toward water among readers of all ages. With the help of this book, raising awareness will be a focus of iUTAH education and outreach activities to diverse communities in the coming year.

iUTAH was able to lead three different breakout sessions about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education and careers during the 20th Annual Multicultural Youth Conference held January 8 at Weber State University. This conference offered a head start on higher education for hundreds of underrepresented students from grades nine to 12. The conference theme, “You Have a Dream,” asked students to think about their future dream careers and how they wanted to attain them. Throughout the day, volunteers led break-out sessions and performers lifted the energy level while raising cultural awareness.

Our first break-out session got 9th grade students thinking about the products they wash down the drain daily and how they impact the environment. Students brainstormed products they use and possible STEM careers they might want that help preserve our water system for the future. Another iUTAH session introduced STEM opportunities in Utah and invited past iFellow Alexis Holzwarth to share her experiences with the program. Crystal Tully-Cordova, a University of Utah graduate student, joined our third break-out session about higher education for diverse students. She shared her background growing up on the Navajo reservation and her desire to pursue a science-related education. Crystal shared tips for students for chasing their dream education with the support of family and caring mentors. Ellen Burns, Caitlyn Lewis, and Mark Brunson planned and led the iUTAH sessions.

Students went home from the conference equipped with vital skills needed for college success, including financial literacy and planning, writing for scholarships, student leadership in college, cultural diversity and community involvement, and STEM inspiration and empowerment. 

Save the Date for the Annual Bringing It Home: Elements of Effective Education 2 - February 28th to March 2nd in Southern Utah. Watch for more details as they become available.

Registration is now open for the fantastic BOEP Annual Conference!

This year Four Corners School of Outdoor Education and its BOEP program are partnering with Utah State University and their iUtah EPSCoR project for our annual conference.

Bioregional Outdoor Education Project (BOEP) is a program of the Four Corners School of Outdoor Education (FCS). It is a year long, professional development program committed to helping teachers on the Colorado Plateau discover the power of “place” in everyday learning, empowering their students to grasp the significance of their own place. This conference is an annual event to bring together teachers, and other educators from the Colorado Plateau Bioregion, to learn bioregionally focused, place-based, hands-on, cross-curricular, outdoor education lessons.