(BES Photo / Flickr Creative Commons)

A new program focused on STEM curriculum for grades k-12 is partnering with four Native American tribes to incorporate indigenous knowledge and practices into classroom learning.

The project is led by a team at the University of Idaho and based on an important premise: that our relationship with our environment and ecosystem is integral to how we understand the world around us.

By acknowledging the absence of indigenous principles in current education courses, the program hopes to bridge gaps and provide support for Native American youth who might be interested in working in an interdisciplinary field.

Project leader and U of I Associate Professor in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, Dr Vanessa Anthony-Stevens and Shoshone-Bannock Fisheries Research biologist Dr. Sammy Matsaw joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the program.