BLM-Alaska, Alaska Native Youth STEM Engagement

Federal Executive Order 13592 promotes federal agencies to improve educational opportunities by allowing educational institutions serving Alaska Native (AN) students to compete for grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other federal resources; and to encourage schools and colleges serving AN students to apply for federal grants and participate in federal education programs. The executive order also encourages (1) access to high quality educational opportunities for AN students, consistent with requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and other applicable federal education statutes; (2) the preservation and revitalization of tribal languages and cultural traditions; and (3) innovative approaches to more seamlessly align early learning, elementary, and secondary education programs. Over the past five years BLM_AK has been partnering with the University of Alaska and other federal agencies in order to promote and support Alaska Native and rural Alaskan youth pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) college degrees. The ultimate goal of this partnership is to create a systematic change in the hiring patterns of Indigenous Americans in STEM fields by increasing the number of individuals on a career path to leadership in STEM fields with interest in natural resource management and biological careers on public lands.