This work is part of an Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) grant by the National Science Foundation, titled “Linking Genome to Phenome to Predict Adaptive Responses of Organisms to Changing Landscapes” (GEM3). The aim of this project is to understand the impacts of environmental and social change on Idaho’s landscapes, wildlife, and people. The overall focus of this grant is on the way in which genomes affect adaptive capacity in sagebrush ecosystems and Redband Trout habitat.
The BSU team members include Jen Forbey, professor in Department of Biological Sciences, Carolina Viera and Kelly Arispe, assistant professors in the Department of World Languages, and Fátima Cornwall, Spanish language coordinator. Student team members include doctoral students Cristina Barber Alvarez-Buylla and Carlos Linares, and undergraduate students Eduardo Canales, Karen Hernández and Yuliana Cisneros.
In the United States, 21% of the population speaks a language different than English at home and 13.5% of that population uses Spanish. In Idaho alone, 8.2% of the population are Spanish speakers. Translating research findings is a first step to reaching the Spanish-speaking community. Eventually, with continued support, the team also hopes to hopes to translate into additional languages, sharing research findings to an even broader audience. To see their work, including Project Scientia podcasts, visit: https://www.idahogem3.org/spanish-translation-scientia.
A Spanish translation team, Project Scientia, is leading an initiative to communicate STEM Research in languages other than English. The project, which takes its name from the Latin word for “science,” involves undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty from Boise State University (BSU).
The project team seeks to share GEM3 research findings with a broader Spanish-speaking audience and currently have their work featured on the GEM3 website. In addition to making science more inclusive and accessible through the creation of STEM dissemination materials tailored to Spanish-speaking audience, the team is also using podcasts and blog posts as a recruitment tool with the ultimate goal of increasing numbers of Hispanic students entering STEM fields.