Keeping Watch In a region scarred by coal mining, a new research center at Chief Dull Knife College is helping the Northern Cheyenne Reservation of Montana remain an environmental oasis.
Opening the Gate Gatekeeping STEM courses are difficult. Who is to blame when Native students fail? We asked seven tribal college educators to share their perspectives.
Money Growing on Trees Tribes were once criticized for failing to “develop” their land. Now their sustainably managed forests are generating income through the carbon market.
Healing Mental Health Bringing more Native Americans into mental health professions.
When Science Wins For more than twenty years, researchers at Aaniiih Nakoda College and the Fort Belknap Reservation’s Environmental Protection Department have worked to document the harm done by an abandoned gold mine adjacent to the reservation. Their findings are now helping block efforts to restart exploration within the mine site.
Field Notes
Credit Where Credit is Needed South Dakota State University’s “Expanding the Circle” program is helping tribal college STEM faculty gain credentials needed to teach outside their disciplines.
NSF’s Human Resources Directorate Renamed The National Science Foundation says new names selected for the Education and Human Resources directorate and its Division of Human Resource Development emphasize the federal agency’s efforts to promote equity in STEM education.
Haskell Receives $20 Million Climate Change Grant The largest award ever made to a tribal college will investigate the impact of climate change on coastal regions from Alaska to Puerto Rico.
Using, not Losing, Indigenous Knowledge At the First American Land-Grant Consortium annual conference, tribal educators learned about a new USDA program that will bring millions to tribal colleges, and discussed the use–and abuse–of Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
TCU research journal emphasizes Indigenous methodologies Published by the American Indian College Fund, the 2022 edition of the Tribal College and University Research Journal is part of an effort to support community-based research and mentor Native scholars.
Fort Belknap’s Swift Fox Reintroduction Continues Aaniiih Nakoda College students assist in return of swift fox to the Fort Belknap Reservation, part of an ongoing effort to support the recovery of North America’s smallest wild canine.
Student Research
Native Science Report’s 2021-2022 Student Research Showcase is featuring the work of five undergraduate students from tribal and Native-serving colleges.
Voices
From Kyiv to Tsaile Oleksandr Makeyev describes his path from Ukraine to the Navajo Nation, where he is now an associate professor in the School of STEM at Diné College. Along the way, he offers advice for those interested in teaching at a tribal college—and expresses hope for the future of his own homeland.
Weaving Worldviews In a climate many outsiders find inhospitable, Iḷisaġvik College science instructor Linda Nicholas-Figueroa, a transplant from the American South, has made the Arctic Circle her home. She was recently named an AAAS Fellow for her innovative approaches to teaching and place-based research.
Gardens That Build Community Little Priest Tribal College student Trey Blackhawk is showing his community that they can grow their own food in a way that benefits the land and themselves.