Ellikarrmiut SUMMER SCIENCE FIELD CAMP
Kuskokwim Campus, College of Rural Alaska, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Science and Technology Academy 'Building Bridges' Initiative
Summer Science Field and Research Incentive Program
for High School Science and Technology Students in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta
Ellikarrmiut, Nash Harbor, Nunivak Island, Bering Sea, Alaska
National Science Foundation Tribal Colleges and Universities Program
In Cooperation with Nunivak Island Mekoryuk Alaska (NIMA) Corporation
Kuskokwim Campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks
College of Rural and Community Development
Cooperative Extension Service
USFWS - Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge
Alaskan Outdoor Center
Update 2007 Summer Science Field Camp Update
NUNIVAK ISLAND
Join top students from across the AYK Delta
College Credits, Field Research Experience
Adventures on the Bering Sea!
[ http://community.uaf.edu/~kuc/blog/archives/summer-science-nunivak-island/ ]Link to Summer Science WEBlog for Current News and Information
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Staff and Faculty
"On behalf of myself and KuC's Summer Science Field Camp team, we would like to thank the student participants, instructors, and NIMA/NICEA Nash Harbor camp support staff for their commitment to this very special project.
Special thanks, congratulations, and recognition for a successful 2006 field camp go out to these folks. Without YOU we would have never been able to accomplish what we did this summer. Quyana!"
Dr. Rick Knecht
Kuskokwim Campus, UAF
Mr. Joe David, Mekoryuk, Alaska
Elder in Residence w/ Nunivak Island Cultural and Educational Adventures (NICEA)
Instructor of local history, lore and indigenous science.
Dr. Rick Knecht, Academic Lead, Assistant Professor College of Rural and Community Development of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development, UAF
Mr. Ira Isaac, Mekoryuk, Alaska
Camp Chef and General Support, NICEA, NIMA Corporation
Skip Snaith, Orcas Island, Washington
Adjunct Professor, Field Videography
Isaiah Peter, Bethel, Alaska
National Science Foundation Info. Tech. Specialist
Working w/all students and staff supporting field technology labs for the camp.
Sarah Angstman, Bethel, Alaska
Student support services for all participants.
Ben Kuntz, Academic Support and Student Support Services
Malia Knecht, Flora and Fauna Specialist, 'Jackie of All Trades'
Martin Leonard III, Program Manager, Kuskokwim Campus ANSEP
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Industry Supporters
These companys have provided support to our students and contributed towards the successful implementation of the Science and Technology Academy's mission!
Quyana
Dr. Rick Knecht and
ANSEP KuC Summer Science Students and Staff
[ http://www.mountainhardware.com/www/action/Intro ]Some of the best heavy-use field tents and outdoor clothing on the market...KuC uses Mountain Hardwear expedition clothing and hardware to outfit students and staff for all Nunivak Island outings.
NIMA Corporation, Mekoryuk, Alaska
Nunivak Island Cultural and Educational Adventures
Mekoryuk Alaska. Camp logistics and support on Nunivak Island.
Legendary Aircraft. Extraordinary Service. Moving freight and cargo from Anchorage to Bethel at 'best rate' for the Kuskokwim Campus.
Supporting freight of Kayaks and Canoes at special rates for special education programs like Nunivak Summer Science.
[ www.getnia.com]Industry leader NIA (Network Innovation Associates) and MIcroCom of Anchorage providing satellite receive station purchase, installation, training and valuable wireless internet services to the educational facilities at Nash Harbor.
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The Science and Technology Academy will be accepting applications for 2006 Summer Science Field Program at Nash Harbor on Nunivak Island;
April 2006...looking foreward to seeing you then!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Frequently Asked Questions about KuC’s Ellkarmiut Summer Science Field Camp at Nash Harbor on Nunivak Island
[ http://d2.mediastreamnetworks.com/videohost.asp?sss=d2&ssvn=6844&ssun=alaska_exposed&ssvs=Large&sspc=6&ssps=3&ssvw=320&ssvh=253 ]View Videographer Skip Snaith's "Arctic Hours" introduction to the field camp at Nash.
What is the KuC Summer Science Field Camp Program?
The Ellkarmiut Summer Science Field Camp on Nunivak Island is one of the programs offered KuC’s Science Technology Engineering and Mathmatics (STEM) Academy to encourage Y-K Delta high school juniors and seniors to consider education and careers in Science and Technology. This is a students' first step towards entrance to the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) pathway at KuC. The camp is located in a remarkable wilderness environment on the shores of the Bering Sea. The camp provides a learning environment that is a hands-on and adventure-based. The program instructor is Dr. Rick Knecht from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Department of Rural Development and Alaska Native Studies .
Who can attend?
· Students must be entering their junior in high school. Outstanding sophmores will be considered.
· Students must have a strong academic background and interest in Science and Technology. Students are selected based upon their applications, transcripts, and recommendations.
· Native Students who are planning to attend University of Alaska have priority in the selection process.
· Students who are currently enrolled or have previously attended the KuC Talent Search Program or the ANSEP pre-college program have priority in the selection process.
How do I apply for KuC’s Summer Science Field Camp?
· Complete a Summer Science Field Camp Application available on line and submit it to KuC.
[ fcp://@fc.bethel.uaf.edu,%231001763/Home%20Page%20Folder/home%20page#app ]click here to go to application
What are the benefits of attending KuC’s Summer Science Field Camp?
· 5-6 college credits from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Students are enrolled in Anthropology 100, an English and Biology Credit...all core to science and engineering degree programs university-wide.
· Outdoor adventure activities (such as kayaking and hiking) in a unique wilderness environment.
· Exposure to both the principles of Western Science and to Native Ways of Knowing.
· Working as a group in teambuilding activities and building friendships that will last a lifetime.
When will I know if I am selected to participate in KuC’s Summer Science Field Camp?
· KuC staff will begin evaluation of applications on May 2nd.
· KuC staff will begin notifying participants and alternates on May 9th.
What is the schedule that I should expect if I am selected?
· You will be informed of your selection by KuC during the week of May 9th.
· You will be required to participate in an introductory Audioconference meeting, scheduled for May 19th.
· You will arrive at KuC on June 15th for orientation, introductory coursework, and outfitting. You will stay on campus at KuC dormitory facilities (even if you live in Bethel) until we depart for Nunivak Island on June 18th.
· We may spend a night or two in the Mekoryuk School until weather permits our travel to the Ellkarmiut Science Field Camp at Nash Harbor.
· We will be at Field Camp from approximately June19th through July 4th.
· We will return to Mekoryuk on July 4th and to KuC on July 5th.
· At KuC, you will complete work on your final projects, clean gear that we have used at camp, and summarize our experience. You will stay on campus at KuC dormitory facilities (even if you live in Bethel) until you depart for home on the morning of July 6th.
What are the costs to students who attend KuC’s Summer Science Field Camp Program?
KuC’s Summer Science Field Camp Program will pay the following costs:
o Tuition for a 6 credit core natural science course (Anthropolog, Biology, English) from UAF
o Books and materials for all courses
o Round trip transportation to and from KuC and summer camp from your village
o Food, lodging, transportation, and facilities while at camp
o Adventure – based camp facilities, activities, and equipment.
· The only anticipated costs to Summer Science Field Camp Students are:
o Spending money for time in Bethel
o Spending money for potential time in Mekoryuk.
What are the camp facilities at Nash Harbor actually like?
· You can see many of the facilities at our [ http://community.uaf.edu/~kuc/blog/archives/summer-science-nunivak-island/ ]summer science blog
· Many of the “buildings” are large WeatherPORTS ([ http://www.global-shelters.com/page.php ]http://www.global-shelters.com/page.php). These include the boys & girls sleeping shelters, the dining shelter, the boat shop, the Alaska Outdoor Center headquarters, and the classroom / gathering shelter.
· There are 2 wooden outhouses.
· There are both male and female steambath houses.
· Last summer we had an excellent cook (fresh reindeer and Dollies – yum!)
[ http://d2.mediastreamnetworks.com/videohost.asp?sss=d2&ssvn=7113&ssun=alaska_exposed&ssvs=Large&sspc=6&ssps=3&ssvw=320&ssvh=253 ]Click here to link to James Joekay's video production "The Camp"
Describe a typical day at camp.
· There are no typical days at camp! But here is an attempt –
o 7:30 – Wakeup
o 8:00 – Breakfast
o 9:00 – Morning class or lab session
o 10:30 – Hike along the beach to look for actual examples studied in morning class session
o 12:00 – Lunch in the field
o 2:00 – Return to camp , afternoon class or lab session
o 4:00 – Kayaking excursion (perhaps drag a plankton net or do some fishing)
o 6:00 – Dinner
o 7:00 – Evening get together. Recap of the day’s activities, group fun activities, etc.
o 9:00 – Personal time
o 10:00 – Hit the sack
· There will be days when we will be in the field the entire day, hiking or kayaking and learning, perhaps even spending the nigh out in a “spike camp.”
· There may be days when we travel by boat to other parts of Nunivak Island, and perhaps hike back to Nash Harbor across the old shield volcano.
[ http://d2.mediastreamnetworks.com/videohost.asp?sss=d2&ssvn=7115&ssun=alaska_exposed&ssvs=Large&sspc=6&ssps=3&ssvw=320&ssvh=253 ]Click here to link to Jofina Avugiak's video production "2 Day Hike"
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[ http://flickr.com/photos/kuc_talent_search/sets/72157594170141314/ ]Click HERE to view photos from previous years camp
These are the questions that we and our former students have thought of. Please email any others that you might have, and we will add your questions to this list.
Contact
Program Support, Summer Science Field Program
Kuskokwim Campus, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Box 368 Bethel, Alaska 99559
voice 907.543.4523 / fax 907.543.4527
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General Information
One page describing the program - what? where? when? why? contact info!
[ fcp://@fc.bethel.uaf.edu,%231001763/Home%20Page%20Folder/ssf_factsheet_06.pdf ]Administrators, post this flyer in your school!
[ fcp://@fc.bethel.uaf.edu,%231001763/Home%20Page%20Folder/ssf_flyer_07.pdf ]Download the program Flyer (.pdf)
Summer Science Field, frequently asked questions (FAQs).
[ fcp://@fc.bethel.uaf.edu,%231001763/Home%20Page%20Folder/ssf_faq_07.pdf ]Download the program FAQ's
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Application
HIGH SCHOOL Junior students can apply for acceptance into the program and receive college credit for this course work. Outstanding Sophmores will be considered; Seniors in the ANSEP pathway are encouraged to attend the [ http://fc.bethel.uaf.edu/~nsf_tcup/page_bootcamp ]KuC or UAA ANSEP College Bridging Program. Use the application link below and mail, fax or email your completed application to the program assistant Carol Sanders at the contact below.
[ fcp://@fc.bethel.uaf.edu,%231001763/Home%20Page%20Folder/ssf_application_07.pdf ]Download Application (.pdf)
Apply to:
Program Support, Summer Science Field Program
Kuskokwim Campus, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Box 368 Bethel, Alaska 99559
voice 907.543.4523 / fax 907.543.4527
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Course / Academic Information
[ fcp://@fc.bethel.uaf.edu,%231001763/Home%20Page%20Folder/ssf_syllabus.pdf ]Example Biology 104 Syllabus (.pdf)
[ fcp://@fc.bethel.uaf.edu,%231001763/Home%20Page%20Folder/ssf_content_standards.xls ]Alaska Content Standards (.xls)
Contact
Program Support, Summer Science Field Program
Kuskokwim Campus, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Box 368 Bethel, Alaska 99559
voice 907.543.4523 / fax 907.543.4527
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OVERVIEW and HISTORY
Ellikarrmiut SUMMER SCIENCE FIELD CAMP
INTRODUCTION In the early twentieth century, as today, about 200 people live on Nunivak Island (Griffin 1996). Almost all of them were Alaskan Eskimo peoples who speak Cup'ig, a distinct language of these people. The people refer to themselves as Cup'ig ("The Real People"), or Nunivaarmiut ("the people of Nunivak"). Nunivaarmiut oral history documents thousands of inhabitants in pre-historic times living in several winter villages, migrating seasonally to camps for fishing, sealing, or caribou hunting (Lantis 1946). One of the most important villages on Nunivak was at Nash Harbor, a locale associated historically with several sealing locations, known as a "spring camp;" a place for sealing, cod fishing and bird hunting (Griffin 1996).
Ellikarrmiut, the "Old Village" at Nash Harbor, is about to be reborn…but in a different light!
During the winter of 2003, Nunivak Island Mekoryuk Alaska (NIMA) Corporation established a subsidiary company, Nunivak Island Cultural Education & Adventures, LLC (NICEA). The focus of this enterprise is to re-establish a traditional seasonal camp at Ellikarrmiut with the sole purpose of providing a culturally rich, wilderness-based, educational environment for students to come and study Indigenous culture and environment and the western sciences.
THE SCHOOL
NIMA and Nunivak Island Cultural Education and Adventures (NICEA) have teamed with local Yukon Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta educators, Elders and resource management specialists to develop the core learning components for the Ellikarrmiut Camp.
[ http://alaskaexposedculture.blogspot.com/ ]See video/slideshow of Edward Curtis photos from Nunivak Island
This field-based school will serve a variety of learners and provide an ideal learning environment for instruction in the traditional and western sciences. Education team members include: University of Alaska Fairbanks- Kuskokwim Campus, Alaskan Outdoor Center, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Nuniwarmiut Piciryarata Tamaryalkuti, City of Mekoryuk, Mekoryuk School, The Kayak Way and others.
“Our approach to education at NICEA emphasizes both the traditional Native way of knowing as well as the western scientific approach. Nunivak Island provides the ideal wilderness, historic and cultural setting for students to develop expertise in both disciplines.“ Wayne Don, Program Manager, NIMA Board.
The school’s physical location is approximately 35 miles west of the village of Mekoryuk on the north side of Nunivak Island at Nash Harbor, or Ellikarrmiut (see map). Students and supplies will be transported from the village to Ellikarrmiut via powerboat. The camp will be tent and ‘weatherport’ based with a mess-dining facility, classrooms and work areas, shop, shower, sleeping quarters and some utilities. Elders in residence, scientists, adventurers and students will reside in the camp, which will serve as a base for learning activities. ‘Spike’ camp facilities will be utilized for forays distant from the Ellikarrmiut base.
THE CURRICULUM
Core curriculum will be a blend of western academic and the traditional subsistence sciences. Biology 104, The Natural History of Alaska, will be presented through the University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Science Engineering and Mathematics. Field projects will be designed around community and USFWS ‘real-time needs’ with data collected as part of ongoing long-term scientific efforts for the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge and the Nunivak Island Wilderness.
Instruction in the indigenous sciences, culture and local environment will be structured around standards developed through the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative, with elders as teachers, using the local Nunivaarmiut knowledge base, culturally aligned curriculum and teaching methods. Traditional science will be inter-woven throughout all learning activities.
An adventure-based format will be used throughout the program to provide experiential opportunities across curricula. Upland, cross-country and coastal backpacking and ocean kayak field excursions will be integrated in the field curricula. Modern kayaks, hiking and camping equipment and trained support staff will be provided by the Alaskan Outdoor Center.
There will also be opportunities for students to directly participate in cross-curricular activities such as skin boat building classes with professional shipwrights and elders, multimedia video web-based IT training documentation, reindeer herding, micro-enterprise and business development activities (eco-tourism), leadership development and much more.
PARTIAL LIST OF ATTENDING EDUCATORS
Joseph David, EIR, Mekoryuk, Alaska
Mr. David is a respected Cup’ig elder living in the community of Mekoryuk. He will be the lead Elder in Residence (EIR) at the NICEA / Ellikarrmiut Camp and will interface with all educational activities. Nunivak Elders in Residence will provide an indigenous ‘scientific’ perspective to all formal academic courses presented and provide instruction in the subsistence sciences of Nunivak Island.
Rick Knecht, Ph.D., Bethel, Alaska [ mailto:r.knecht.uaf.edu ]Dr.knecht@uaf.edu
Skip Snaith, Orcas Island, WA
Mr. Snaith is a professional shipwright and qayaq and umiaq antiquities expert. He has completed qayaq antiquities and construction projects in the SW Alaska communities of Kwigillingok, Chevak and Mekoryuk. Skip is a highly skilled shipwright, author and multimedia specialist. He and elders in residence at NIMA NICEA will work with ALL the visiting students in order to 1) revitalize the knowledge base surrounding the traditional boats of Nunivak; 2) develop local boat building skills, constructing actual boats that will then become resources for the camp; 3) assist with actually using the boats, facilitating student outings on both ocean and lake environs.
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PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND OVERSIGHT
Martin Leonard III, MBA, Bethel, Alaska
Mr. Leonard has lived in rural Alaska all of his adult life. He has an academic background in Geology, Education, Information Technology and Business. He is a certified teacher with the state of Alaska and a World Class Kayak Surfer and Expedition Paddler. Martin works in program development with the UAF Kuskokwim Campus and is on the board of directors of the Alaskan Outdoor Center. He will coordinate STEM activities at the camp and assist with adventure-based learning experiences for ALL visiting students.
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PARTNERSHIPS, SUPPORTERS, CONTRIBUTORS
Nunivak Island Mekoryuk Alaska (NIMA) Corporation [ http://www.nimacorporation.com/ ]http://www.nimacorporation.com/
UAF - Kuskokwim Campus [ http://www.uaf.edu/rural/locations/kuskokwim.html ]http://www.uaf.edu/rural/locations/kuskokwim.html
Alaskan Outdoor Center, Inc [ http://www.geocities.com/alaskan_outdoor_center/ ]http://www.alaskanoutdoorcenter.org
United States Fish and Wildlife Service [ http://www.r7.fws.gov/ ]http://www.r7.fws.gov/
Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge [ http://yukondelta.fws.gov/index.htm ]http://yukondelta.fws.gov/index.htm
Nuniwarmiut Piciryarata Tamaryalkuti [ http://www.nunivak.org/ ]http://www.nunivak.org/
Lower Kuskokwim School District, Mekoryuk School [ http://www.lksd.org/ ]http://www.lksd.org/
The Kayak Way [ http://www.rockisland.com/~kyak/ ]http://www.rockisland.com/~kyak/
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Ellikarrmiut SUMMER SCIENCE FIELD CAMP
Contact
Program Support, Summer Science Field Program
Kuskokwim Campus, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Box 368 Bethel, Alaska 99559
voice 907.543.4523 / fax 907.543.4527
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