‘A pathway forward’: Montana State hosts inaugural Indigenous student research celebration

BOZEMAN - In Montana State University's Inspiration Hall, the theme of the day was connection and relationship at a new event, hosted April 10-12, which organizers hope will be the first of many iterations.

The Convening of Indigenous Student Researchers came together as the result of collaboration between not only departments and colleges at MSU but also institutions across the state, with all seven of Montana's Tribal colleges involved in planning. Organizers said the event fulfilled its purpose: to provide a welcoming, open and encouraging space for Indigenous students to share research and relationships.

"In order to be an ally, a supporter, to our Native students, you have to know them as individuals first. Building up that relationality helps them to go further in research," said Brad Hall, president of Blackfeet Community College in Browning and one of the event's organizers. "These are our future faculty members, our future professional practitioners, our future cultural leaders, who are really going to help meld all that together in ways that make sense for our communities."

The event included two plenary speakers - John B. Herrington, Ph.D. CDR, USN (Ret) Astronaut, STS-113, who was the first enrolled member of a Native American tribe to go to space; and Lisa Lone Fight, the founding director of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation's Department of Science, Technology and Research. A resource fair drew more than two dozen organizations and offices aimed at supporting Indigenous students through higher education and beyond. A highlight of the day was a poster session at which students could present their work.

Violet Pablo, an undergraduate student at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, presented a project focused on metal-organic frameworks - materials with potential applications in environmental remediation, such as the removal of water contaminants. Pablo has collaborated with researchers on the MSU campus and conducted research at SKC, and last week's event was the first time she had presented her research through an academic poster. She said she intentionally aimed for an approachable project title to emphasize that scientific research is for everyone.

"It's been really cool," she said of her collaboration with MSU associate professor Nick Stadie's team in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "It was really inviting, and everyone was so nice. I made my poster title 'Unlocking Undergraduate Research Potential with Coordination Chemistry' because this is something undergrads like me can do, and we can do it at SKC. This environment has been really welcoming and really put me at ease."

MSU engineering student Calvin Russette wasn't new to presenting his research, but echoed the level of support he has felt from his own mentor, Charles Kankelborg in MSU's Department of Physics. Russette, who presented research on developing a specially designed container for radioactive elements, is in his second year at MSU after transferring from Chief Dull Knife College in his hometown of Lame Deer.

He hopes to one day work for NASA and recalled a fortuitous path that brought him from Lame Deer to Bozeman, beginning with a connection to Chief Dull Knife's rocket team, which is supported by the multi-institutional Montana Space Grant Consortium. That connection led to an internship, which led to a trip to Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which led to connections with MSU faculty, and an undergraduate research project aimed at improving the observation of solar flares.

"It's been like a snowball. It started with one thing, and I just kept saying 'yes' and now here I am," Russette said. "A lot of things are open now, and it's not something that I would get by myself. Just knowing people, connection, being able to network, is where opportunity comes from. That's the best thing I've learned."

In total, students from MSU and six of Montana's seven Tribal colleges presented at the event. One of those presenters is new to graduate research but a familiar part of the MSU community: assistant Honors College dean Steven Davis, who is also a graduate student.

Davis leads Honor Bound, an MSU program that supports academically motivated Indigenous students. He also helped to plan last week's event, calling it, hopefully, the first of many. And he highlighted the leadership of Montana's Tribal colleges and the relationships they foster for students both on their campuses and in their communities.

He said the student-centric event highlighted a unique element of research that he hopes will grow: focusing on both relationships and scientific discovery, all while centering the knowledge and experiences of Indigenous students.

"Relationships centered within a relational worldview is where innovation happens, when we don't have to leave our identities at the door," he said. "When we think about the grand challenges of the 21st century, we can't solve them using the same linear mindset that created them. That's why I'm excited to see the kind of research that's being presented here. I'm really excited to see young, aspiring Native people in STEM leading the way forward."

MSU faculty members Zoe Pratte, assistant research professor in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, and Dan Atwater, assistant professor in the Department of Animal and Range Sciences, coordinated the event, which was also supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, Blackfeet Community College, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the MSU Office of Research and Economic Development.

Both Pratte and Atwater said the result was exactly what they'd hoped for, and that they'd already been approached with interest for future Indigenous research celebrations. But the most important aspect, Pratte said, was to simply open doors and emphasize to Indigenous students that they belong, both at MSU and in the research community.

"Often, students don't feel qualified or like research is for them," said Pratte. "But that's not true. We want them to know, 'Yes, you are qualified. Let's get you here, whatever it takes.'"

Hall, the Blackfeet Community College president, ended the day by emphasizing the importance of research, especially research that comes with a foundation in the Indigenous experience.

"Student engagement requires them to see things outside of the classroom, like lab work and fieldwork. Those are the things that allow them to apply what they learn," said Hall. "That application lets them see what's possible, and it also allows them opportunities to hone their skills, their talents. Who better to do research in our communities than our own students?

"They go from shy and reserved to having that command of the knowledge and contributing to the scholarship. If I can get one student to take away from this a pathway forward to what they want to do, that's a success."