New Smithsonian Partnerships for Culturally Responsive STEAM Education in Alaska
The October 2023 meeting of the Education, Training, and Capacity Building Collaboration Team sought to share information about STEM learning experiences and opportunities in the Arctic.
Margaret Benson (Distance Learning Manager, Office of Education, National Museum of Natural History) and Aron Crowell (Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center) gave an overview of a Smithsonian-funded project “Together We Thrive; Community-Based, Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Science Education.” Goals of the project include collaborative development of science curricula incorporating Indigenous knowledge, professional development for K-12 teachers, outreach to rural and urban school districts, and educator access to Smithsonian collections and learning resources. In Year 1 of the two-year grant, the program has established collaborations with Sealaska Heritage Institute, Bristol Bay Foundation, CIRI Foundation, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage School District, and other organizations. A parallel CSRE initiative under the grant is working with the Washington DC School District and DC community partners. Smithsonian researchers from NMNH and SERC (Smithsonian Ecological Research Center) will engage with teachers in both locations.
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