A program aimed at strengthening the math and science curriculum among American Indian youth in Nebraska and South Dakota will continue thanks to the renewal of the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) grant.
The $1.3 million grant to the University of Nebraska Medical Center has been renewed for another five years through the National Center for Research Resources, a division of the National Institutes of Health.
Since 2005 when it was initially funded, 130 middle school students and 83 teachers, who teach science on reservation schools, have participated in the program. Through summer science camps, teacher workshops and site visits, the SEPA program has developed partnerships with schools and communities on six reservations in Nebraska and South Dakota.
“The close ties that we have forged have enabled innovative cooperation for science enrichment among students and teachers,” said Maurice Godfrey, Ph.D., principal investigator on the grant and professor of pediatrics at UNMC.
The new grant will be expanded to include high school students, feature two community garden initiatives and a community outreach component through local libraries and a partnership with the McGoogan Library at UNMC.
These initiatives are designed to boost health literacy among community members and engage them in the health sciences, as well as provide access to healthy foods.
“Reaching beyond the classroom to parents and communities is critical to the success of this project,” Dr. Godfrey said. “Community education programs will be designed to promote healthy living, increase health literacy and improve access to health information resources.”
The partnership with the library is key in providing reservation communities access to health information via the Consumer Health Information Resource Service at the library, he said. Teri Hartman, a McGoogan librarian, will lead this effort.
The community gardens will be piloted first at Wagner Community School in Wagner, S.D., and in Santee, Neb., with the Santee Sioux Tribe. Andrew Jameton, Ph.D., a professor in the UNMC College of Public Health, will oversee this initiative.
“Community gardens have become a national movement with many thousands nationwide because of their capacity to support science and nutrition education for children, while at the same time promoting healthy eating and exercise for family members of all ages,” Dr. Jameton said.
Finally the grant will expand research opportunities to high school students with the implementation of summer research experiences.
“Advancing the health of Native American communities is the ultimate aim of every aspect of this project,” Dr. Godfrey said.
Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu.
-30-