Native Explorers program seeking applicants

If you are Native American and curious about the natural world or medicine, then consider joining research scientists and physicians on a scientific excursion to the Oklahoma panhandle, southwest Colorado, and south-central Utah.  In Oklahoma, the main focus of the scientific excursion will be to locate dinosaur track ways, fossil localities, and visit archeological sites.  The next stop will be at Mesa Verde in southwestern Colorado to visit the local archeological sites and cliff dwellings.  In south-central Utah, we plan to prospect and collect Ice-age vertebrate fossils (e.g., saber toothed cats, dire wolf, and mammoths) and learn about the modern plants and animals.  Thus, if you enjoy being in the “great outdoors”, this scientific expedition is for you! You may be eligible to earn three hours of college credit.  The program will begin on June 19th and end on July 1st.  Application deadline is May 1, 2012.

Activities will begin on the campus of Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS) in Tulsa, OK and include exploring anatomy by comparing diseased and normal organs (lungs, hearts, brains, bones).  Participants will learn how do identify fossil remains and will be exposed to tools used by vertebrate paleontologists.  Physicians and medical students will interact with the participants to teach them about healthful lifestyles and medicine. These on campus activities will be followed by a scientific excursion to the Oklahoma panhandle; Mesa Verde, Colorado; and the Wasatch Plateau in south-central Utah.  Native traditions and culture will also be a part of this experience.

Participants will work side-by-side with research scientists from OSU-CHS and the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History to learn about Natural History and vertebrate paleontology.  Archeologists and Biologists from the U.S. D.A. Forest Service (Ferron and Price Districts) will introduce participants to their protocols for the management of natural resources and the preservation and protection of historic sites as well as possible career opportunities and internships.

The primary objectives of the Native Explorers Program at OSU-CHS are to promote and increase the number of Native Americans in science and medicine.  This opportunity will expose participants to careers in graduate and/or medical programs at OSU-CHS as well as the U.S. D.A. Forest Service.

Click to apply to the program or for more information


Fully Funded by the Whitten-burrage Law Firm, Chickasaw Nation, Native Explorers Foundation, and Whitten-Newman Native Explorers Scholarship at OSU