Introduction

The New Mexico Tribal Coalition (NMTC) and the Coalition of Educators for Native American Children (CENAC) have collaborated to create a yearly, regional science fair that brings together students, teachers, and parents from all 12 partner schools. The fair emphasizes the mastery of Western science in combination with the promotion of Native science. This is achieved in a number of ways, including having both Western and Native scientist judges and incorporating a unique judging category, the Native Scientist Award.
In order to attend the CENAC Regional Science Fair, students first participate in a science fair at their school. This local fair is utilized to select students to participate in the CENAC science fair. The CENAC fair is separated into two days of events, one for students in Kindergarten through 4th grade with projects grouped by grade level and one for students in 5th to 8th grade with projects grouped by categories defined by the Intel International Science Fair. Participants are required to create a poster and write a report; students in 5th to 8th grade are also expected to submit abstracts and additional paperwork. Science fair judges are drawn from NMTC professional
contacts as well as CENAC schools’ tribal communities. Examples of judges include National Laboratory personnel, UNM professors, Native scientists, and high school teachers. The following schedule is followed during the science fair:

• Judges arrive in the morning for an hour and a half orientation.
• Student projects are judged (process lasts approximately 3 hours).
• Awards are determined.
• Awards ceremony concludes the event in the late afternoon.

Student projects are rated and scored based on their use of a scientific approach, skills, creativity, clarity, thoroughness and teamwork (where applicable). Additionally, students in 5th to 8th grade are judged on their project abstract, research, journal/documentation and bibliography.
One primary emphasis of the CENAC science fairs is introducing and encouraging student participation in culturally-based projects. A separate award category, the Native Scientist Award, is judged based upon three criteria: integration of cultural traditions and Western science and technology, traditions (adherence to cultural heritage, knowledge gained in traditional ways/through cultural teachings), and self-reflection