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Reinventing Another Unaipon: Indigenous Science Leaders for the Future

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 July 2017

Karen Trimmer ,
Graeme Gower  and
Graeme Lock
Karen Trimmer
Affiliation:
School of Linguistics, Adult & Specialist Education, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba 4350, Queensland, Australia
Graeme Gower*
Affiliation:
School of Education, Edith Cowan University, Perth 6027, Western Australia, Australia
Graeme Lock
Affiliation:
School of Education, Edith Cowan University, Perth 6027, Western Australia, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Graeme Gower, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The education of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students in Australian universities has received considerable attention in both the literature and government policy in the 21st century. The participation and graduation rates for Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students in higher education Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs have remained low and are becoming a particular focus in universities across Australia. This paper reflects on the life and contribution of David Unaipon, the enrolment data from a small sample of universities across Australia and the literature to discuss potential strategies for improving the access to, participation in and graduation from higher education STEM courses.

Keywords

IndigenousUnaiponhigher educationIndigenous student supportSTEM courses
Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 47 , Issue 2 , December 2018 , pp. 216 - 225
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2017 

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