The (un)discovering of ecology by Alaska Native ecologists

When do Native students discover ecology and what factors contribute to the low enrollment of diverse students? Addressing such questions is crucial for diversifying science disciplines and the workforce of ecology and geoscience disciplines. Field sciences such as ecology have notably low enrollment of students from underrepresented groups, such as Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, and Native American or Alaska Natives. Here we discuss the factors that affect Native students and provide strategies to improve recruitment and retention of Native students in the sciences.