Professor Gill Roehrig in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and her co-author Brant Miller in the Department of Biological Sciences won the award for the best paper published in 2018 by the journal Cultural Studies of Science Education for their paper entitled “Indigenous cultural contexts for STEM experiences: snow snakes’ impact on students and the community.”

This paper describes part of the work of a partnership with the White Earth American Indian Reservation funded by the National Science Foundation. The “Reach for the Sky” project was created to provide meaningful, culturally-relevant STEM learning opportunities for elementary and middle school students through out-of-school programming. The snow snakes game was revitalized from forgotten Indigenous cultural practices and the STEM activity was co-developed with elders to improve engagement in STEM. Due to the revitalization, a Snow snake festival is held annually each year in White Earth bringing teachers, students and parents together as a community.

Learn more about STEM education research in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.