Project Description:
The Kéyah Math Project has developed a series of versatile online activities in mathematical geoscience, using the natural and cultural landscapes of the Southwest United States as context and setting. These place-based exercises are available to enhance any undergraduate geoscience course, and may be of particular interest to students and teachers with cultural ties to the Southwest, including American Indian and Hispanic students and teachers. 

Kéyah is the Dine (Navajo) word for homeland-- it literally means that which is connected to one beneath one's feet. We use this name to emphasize the connection to Southwest places.  
The Kéyah Math team plans to continue developing place-based quantitative geoscience activities, and welcomes your comments and recommendations (via the Contact Team link at left). 

Pedagogical Concerns: 
Recommendations of the Greater Geoscience-Education Community:
In 1996, the National Science Foundation published the "George Report," a comprehensive review of undergraduate education in all areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (George et al., 1996) that in turn inspired communities of educators in the various disciplines to conduct their own reviews.

Benefits of Using Kéyah Math:
Results of the project evaluation show:
  1. Kéyah Math bolsters the interest and capabilities of all students in the geosciences through the use of scientific inquiry and current scientific data.
  2. Kéyah Math attracts the interest of Native American students in particular, through the use of data and case studies taken from familiar, culturally-significant localities and contemporary issues of significance to their communities.
  3. Kéyah Math improves the quantitative skills of Native American and other minority science students at an early stage in their undergraduate programs, better preparing them for professional careers in the geosciences.
  4. Kéyah Math enhances the global infrastructure for geoscience education through universal web-based dissemination.