Lakota Undergraduates as Partners in Aging Research in American Indian Communities

Studies have established the beneficial role of engaging students in research at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Authentic research experiences serve as a tool for instruction where students are actively involved in the process of discovery, the scientific method, and advancing existing fields with scientific data. Further, students report that they enjoy such experiences, making them more likely to pursue and maintain active careers in the sciences. Engaging minority students as active partners in faculty research not only involves them in the scientific process, but also enables others to gain access to minority participants in a culturally-appropriate manner. This paper focuses on the mutually beneficial role of American Indian students as active partners in faculty research on aging, where they played a vital role in the development and completion of the project. The benefits for the students included high retention rates for a typically at-risk group of college students, a mentoring relationship with a faculty member, and opportunities to blend their cultural background with the college experience.