➜ firstnations.org
Native Americans engaged in meaningful work that benefits Indigenous people and communities are eligible for the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship. In partnership with the Henry Luce Foundation, the First Nations Development Institute is awarding its first 10 fellowships in January 2020. The $50,000 fellowships support Native knowledge holders and knowledge makers with the potential to significantly move forward in their fields in ways that will lead to transformative advances for Indigenous communities.
Fellowship recipients will participate in a 12-month enrichment program designed to support the growth, development, and networks of Native leaders. There are three required convenings each year where fellows can pool their collective knowledge to create a community of practice that reaches across professions, geographies, and tribal cultures.
The fellowship is open to both emerging and experienced leaders from a wide variety of fields, including but not limited to agriculture, food systems, youth leadership development, natural resource management, climate change, economic development, journalism, language and cultural revitalization, and traditional and contemporary arts.
Applicants must be a member of a federally or state-recognized Native American or Alaska Native tribe or community, Native Hawaiian, or able to demonstrate significant and long-standing engagement with and commitment to an Indigenous community in the U.S., and be engaged in the development, perpetuation, dissemination of knowledge in their field; at least 18 years old; and a U.S. citizen.
For nearly 39 years, First Nations has been working throughout the U.S. to restore Native American control and culturally compatible stewardship of the assets they own, from land and natural resources to cultural resources and human potential. We asked Dr. Raymond Foxworth, vice president of development, grantmaking, and communications at First Nations, about the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship program.
What are some examples of roles in the category of “knowledge holders and knowledge makers?” We are considering applications from people engaged in both traditional Indigenous and Western knowledge fields. Examples of roles include cultural leaders and activists, linguists and language preservationists, writers and storytellers, small business owners and entrepreneurs, health care practitioners, environmentalists, food justice advocates, academics, researchers, and scientists.
How do leaders apply for the fellowship? Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria should complete the online application form that requires uploading several attachments, including three essays. In addition, candidates may submit supplemental documents such as awards and newspaper articles, that demonstrate their commitment to their tribal community. People can also be nominated according to the instructions you’ll find in the application materials.
What topics should the essays address? The three required essays are intended to help applicants define their vision, create a plan, and implement it.
The Statement of Community Impact should describe the applicant’s background and connection to their community.
The Proposed Fellowship Plan should outline the applicant’s vision for transferring and sharing Indigenous knowledge.
The Budget should describe how the applicant will use their award funds to support their community vision during the 12-month fellowship.
How can the award funds be used? The goal of the fellowship is to provide flexible funding to selected fellows as they seek to create or disseminate knowledge in their field. Award funds may be used to cover costs like living expenses, tuition, conference registration, equipment, travel, and childcare. (The fellowship does not cover health care.)
Can fellows pursue additional support after the conclusion of the 12-month program? After 12 months, fellows will be eligible to apply for a supplemental grant of $25,000 to extend their work for another year and help mentor the next cohort.
➜ sloan.org
The Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership (SIGP) is a scholarship program funded by the A.P. Sloan Foundation to support Indigenous graduate students pursuing master’s and doctoral STEM degrees. The program was established in 2003 to increase the number of Indigenous Americans earning advanced degrees in STEM disciplines. Although American Indians and Alaska Natives make up at least 1.2 percent of the U.S. population, they earn less than 0.5 percent of all doctorates.
“This is a vital issue for tribes as they manage economic development,” explains Beverly Hartline, vice chancellor for research and dean of the graduate school at Montana Technological University and the school’s SIGP director. “Having tribal members with STEM expertise in fields like the environment, engineering, and wildlife biology is critical to tribal communities. In just one example, many tribal lands are used for coal, oil, and other extractive industries that are disproportionately managed and operated by non-tribal professionals.”
To champion talented Natives and increase their chances for post-graduate success, the SIGP program provides funding to selected graduate students on a competitive basis. Students selected to be SIGP Scholars may receive MS candidate awards up to $20,000 total and PhD awards up to $40,000. In addition, scholars are assigned mentors and advisors and given opportunities to network with their Native STEM peers. The amount of financial support allocated for tuition and teaching/research assistantships varies by institution.
To be eligible, students must be accepted into a qualifying STEM graduate program at one of the seven participating institutions: the universities of Alaska-Anchorage, Alaska-Fairbanks, Arizona (Tucson), Montana (Missoula), Montana Technological University (Butte), Montana State University (Bozeman), and Purdue University (Indiana).
Candidates must also be enrolled in a federally or state-recognized tribe, have U.S. citizenship, identify a primary research advisor, secure a teaching assistantship or research assistantships, and complete an application form and submit additional materials, including a CV, research statement, and letters of nomination and support.
Shanara (“Shanny”) Spang Gion, Northern Cheyenne and Crow, is a SIGP fellowship recipient who recently graduated from Montana Technological University with a master’s in interdisciplinary studies. Her thesis integrated hydrogeology, policy, technical communication, and Indigenous research methodologies. Spang Gion now serves as executive director of the nonprofit Southeast Montana Area Revitalization Team.
How has this opportunity impacted your education and career path? It’s really made all the difference. When I learned about the program and applied, I had been out of college for 10 years and was working for my tribe. The program gave me a rare opportunity to get back into academia and to study water the way I wanted to, in a way that I think is true to tribal values, worldview, and interests.
Were you interested in science as an undergraduate? After I graduated from Lame Deer High School in Lame Deer, Mont., in 2000, I went to Montana State University–Bozeman and pursued a degree in environmental science. After graduating in 2005, I went to work for the Northern Cheyenne Tribe Environmental Protection Department in positions that focused on opposition to off-reservation development of coal bed methane, and water resources and wetlands management.
How did you become interested in STEM fields of study? I think that came from my grandparents, who instilled in me values about appreciating and caring for the lands that we were on, especially in the context of our contemporary history. Our people were forced down to Oklahoma by the U.S. government, and our tribal leaders fought to bring us back to our traditional territories. So it’s that much more important when you know your ancestors gave their lives for us to live in the place we are accustomed to.
How were you selected for the SIGP? I didn’t know about the program until 2014 when I attended Graduate Horizons at Cornell University. I met Dr. Beverly Hartline from Montana Technological University, and we started talking about research and my interest in water, other natural resources, and Indigenous research methodologies. She told me about the interdisciplinary program at Montana Technological University and their partnership with Sloan. It was a compelling opportunity and I applied. By January of 2015, I had been accepted into the program and began taking distance classes.
What else would you like to share with our readers about the program? The things that immediately come to mind are the financial support and the flexibility. I was a non-traditional student with two children and a husband who held a great position he was hesitant to leave. I was on campus and completed coursework over only one year, and I’ve been able to conduct much of my research remotely. With that flexibility and the financial backing of the fellowship, it allowed my family to successfully juggle our financial and family obligations.
➜ smartscholarship.org
The SMART (Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation) Program offers comprehensive scholarships for undergraduate, master’s, and doctorate students interested in STEM careers. The Department of Defense (DoD) sponsors the initiative as part of a broader effort to enhance its workforce with STEM specialists in high-demand fields. For more than 10 years, SMART Scholars have been working in civilian roles within laboratories and agencies of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and other vital DoD organizations.
In addition to paying full tuition and related educational expenses for SMART Scholars, the DoD offers monthly stipends, health insurance and book allowance, and summer internships at DoD facilities. Student stipends total between $25,000 and $38,000 annually, depending on educational experience. Scholars also agree to continue to use their expertise in civil service roles following graduation. Each participant’s post-degree service commitment is commensurate with the value of their scholarship award.
Internships and job placements are available throughout the country at nearly 200 DoD laboratories and agencies in 40 states. SMART Scholarship applicants should meet the following requirements:
The annual application period begins on August 1 and ends December 1. For more information, email smart@smartscholarship.org.
Tylar Temple, who serves in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, is the SMART program manager.
When should students apply to be a SMART Scholar? We require our undergraduate scholars to already be enrolled in a college or university at the time of their application, so they can apply as early as freshman year. Our master’s and PhD scholars can apply at any time during their studies, based in part on their undergraduate transcript.
What are some program highlights? Not only do SMART Scholars receive full tuition and a stipend throughout their academic pursuits, they’re also guaranteed a civilian job in the Department of Defense when they graduate. The success rate of these job matches is high: more than 70 percent of our scholars continue their career with the DoD after they finish their service commitment. In addition, based on a recent study of outcomes, we found that 30 percent of our graduates said that if they hadn’t participated in the program, they wouldn’t have thought of or considered employment at the DoD. That’s more than 800 employees so far who have careers with us now because they became SMART Scholars.
How many scholarships are awarded every year? The number of scholarships annually may vary depending on the DoD budget. For 2019, we’re expecting to award approximately 300 scholarships. By the end of this year, more than 3,000 students will have been awarded the SMART Scholarship for Service since the program’s inception in 2006.
What is the timing for award announcements and funding? Students apply in the late summer/fall for funding for the following academic year. Successful 2019 applicants will receive scholarships that begin in the 2020–2021 academic year. The application process ends on December 1 every year, and we typically announce awards the following April.
What else should applicants know about the program? Prospective scholars should take a look at the application early — it’s not something that someone can complete in a couple of hours. In addition to standard informational questions, we have two essay questions about why they want to work for the DoD and what their goals are personally and professionally. Those questions should be answered in a thoughtful and thorough manner. We typically attract a high number of applicants, so our evaluators are looking for people who not only are qualified, but really want to serve.
Any final points for our readers? A lot of our scholars make an immediate impact within their DoD facility, where they also benefit from being in contact with professionals who have been on similar educational and career paths. They are studying subjects relevant to the research being conducted, and during summer internships they’re able to build professional and mentoring relationships they can fall back on when they need them. Having that additional point of view from an objective and supportive professional is something our scholars come to value.
