Assistantship Opportunities

The School of Teaching, Learning and Educational Sciences and the School of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Aviation are pleased to announce the

opening of up to two Graduate Research Associates (GRAs), funded through the Native Earth | Native Sky cooperative agreement with NASA.

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Overview

GRAs will be supported by a new cooperative agreement between OSU and NASA through NASA’s Science Activation (SciAct) Program in the Science Mission Directorate. The SciAct program at OSU, called Native Earth | Native Sky, has a primary objective of building earth-sky STEM curriculum that is culturally relevant for middle school grades in three Oklahoma Native American nations. This collaborative effort between OSU, NASA and the Native American nations will result in three unique curricula that celebrate each nation’s Native culture, language and community alongside geo-and space science principles that meet Oklahoma state standards. The two GRA positions available will play a critical role in data collection, data analysis, curriculum development and project dissemination.

 

Qualifications

Applicants for admission to graduate programs must have successfully applied and be fully admitted to the PhD in Science Education program.

 

We will also consider candidates whose application is in process at OSU and meet the criteria for admission. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in teaching science in grades 3-12. While not a requirement, preference will be given to Native Americans. 

 

Responsibilities

For this opportunity, GRAs are expected to provide an average of 20 hours of work per week for 12 months of the year related to research with the potential to teach an occasional undergraduate course. GRAs are required to be enrolled as full-time students each semester of the award unless they are in the dissertation phase of their program. GRAs are expected to work and be available for meetings on campus during the workday.

 

Compensation

• Graduate Student Salary: $30,000/year (renewable for up to four years based on availability of funds and outstanding annual evaluations)
• Tuition Waiver: Up to 75 hours (approximately $25,000-$30,000 for resident students and about $70,000 for non-resident students across the program)
• Scholarships: Students are also encouraged to apply for scholarships. Deadline for application for scholarships for the 2022-23 academic year is January 3, 2022.

 

Application Process

To apply, please complete and submit the following:

 

1.  OSU Graduate College application
2. Transcripts from all previously attended institutions (3.0 minimum graduate GPA required)
3. Three letters of recommendations (you will identify three individuals who agree to complete an online recommendation form)
4. Current resume/vita
5. Personal and career goal statement (max of two pages)
6. Academic or scholarly writing sample
7. An interview may be required for admission
8. GRE or MAT scores are currently being waived
9. Graduate Assistantship application (requires submission of resume and cover letter explaining why you are interested in the Native Earth | Native Sky program)

 

Screening of applications will begin on March 15, 2022 and will continue until all positions are filled. Start date for the assistantship is negotiable (e.g., June, or August 2022).

 

Questions

For Science Education program and application questions, please contact Dr. Toni Ivey.

The Native Earth | Native Sky mission is based upon the celebration of and collaboration with Native American nations. The program is interested in recruiting GRAs who demonstrate experience with and knowledge of culturally diverse populations and who have a commitment to work efforts with Native American people.