Overview
The Native STEM Portraits (NSP) survey was designed to study the experiences of Native undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and other professionals in STEM across the duration of the project. Between 2021 and 2023, the national survey was taken by over 420 participants and included questions in the following areas: motivations to pursue a degree or a career in STEM; influences, supports, and barriers while pursuing STEM; experiences while pursuing a degree or a career in STEM at the institution and with supervisors, academic advisors, professors, and support programs; and identity as Native individuals in STEM. Below are a few items from the survey to highlight some of the study’s main quantitative findings.
ITEM 1: Giving Back
I majored in STEM to give back to Native people in my career.
Research consistently shows that giving back is an important value that is at the core of Native people’s identities that directs members to contribute to their communities’ wellness (Guillory, 2008; Jaumot-Pascual et al., 2023). When asked about their motivations to major in STEM, over two thirds of NSP survey participants agreed that they majored in STEM to give back to Native people in their careers.
ITEM 2: Motivation for Persistence
It’s important for me to persist because Native voices are needed in my field.
Strongly Agree/Agree: 91%
Neutral: 7%
Disagree: 2%
NSP survey participants demonstrated awareness that Native people are severely underrepresented in most STEM fields (NCSES, 2023) and understood their role to be more than simply having a job in STEM. An overwhelming majority of participants agreed that it was important for them to persist in their STEM fields because Native voices are needed in them.
ITEM 3: Role Models and Mentors
Research has indicated that it is important for individuals to see themselves represented in their chosen field (Bowman et al., 2023). Almost half of NSP survey participants agreed that they have academic or career role models who are Native that they strive to emulate. However, given the underrepresentation of Native people in STEM, we expected that this would not be the case for everyone; over a third of participants disagreed that they had these Native academic or career role models.
Independently of their backgrounds, it is important for mentors to understand their mentees’ cultures to be effective mentors (Black-Beard et al., 2011). Over half of participants agreed they had the sense that their mentors understood their culture.
I have academic/career role models who are Native that I strive to emulate.
47%
Agree/Strongly Agree
35%
Disagree/Strongly Disagree
My mentor gave me the sense that they understood my culture.
55%
Agree/Strongly Agree
17%
Disagree/Strongly Disagree
ITEM 4: Sense of Belonging
The experiences reported by survey participants in predominantly white institutions (PWIs) were quite different from those in Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) in terms of the involvement of Native communities and the integration of different scientific knowledges, such as Native science, in the curriculum. Participants who attended TCUs agreed more strongly with each of the statements below than those in PWIs.
My Native community knowledge and experiences are recognized and valued at my institution.
The Native community is very involved with the course work, activities, and programming at my institution.
My academic education acknowledges both western/European and Native understandings of science.
My instructors use diverse material and content, allow for diversity in demonstration of mastery, and embrace diverse language and cultures.
Suggested Citation
Native STEM Portraits Team (2025). Native STEM Portraits Survey Results. Native STEM Portraits. https://www.terc.edu/nativestemportraits/survey-highlights/
References
Blake‐Beard, S., Bayne, M. L., Crosby, F. J., & Muller, C. B. (2011). Matching by race and gender in mentoring relationships: Keeping our eyes on the prize. Journal of Social issues, 67(3), 622-643.
Bowman, N., Logel, C., Lacosse, J., Canning, E. A., Emerson, K. T., & Murphy, M. C. (2023). The role of minoritized student representation in promoting achievement and equity within college STEM courses. AERA open, 9, 23328584231209957.
Guillory, J. P. (2008). Diverse pathways of “giving back” to tribal community: Perceptions of Native American college graduates [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Pullman, WA: Washington State University.
Jaumot-Pascual, N., DeerInWater, K., Ong, M., & Silva, C. B. (2023). “I can do data for my people”: experiences of giving back for Native undergraduates in computing. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 18(3), 879-909.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) (2023). Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities. National Science Foundation. https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf23315/