Winds of Change - 2017 National Conference Wrap-Up - 37

RESEARCH PRESENTATION: STEM
RESEARCH AS A MEANS TO A
DIFFERENT END; HOW CAN RESEARCH
PARTNERSHIPS AT TCUs SERVE AS A
CHANNEL FOR CAREER READINESS
AND COMMUNITY CAPACITY BUILDING?
Led by Meghan Collins, assistant research scientist,
STEM education, and environmental education lead
at the Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Reno, Nev.
Meghan Collins presented information on work DRI is doing
to develop a sustainable faculty research partnership program in
STEM as part of the Native Waters on Arid Lands project in
collaboration with the First Americans Land-Grant Consortium
(FALCON). The program, currently being piloted with Aaniiih
Nakoda College in Montana, prioritizes experiential learning, youth
engagement, and career development and will pair DRI research
faculty with faculty from tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) to
support original student research projects. The intent is to develop
a scalable, transferrable research model that includes seed grants,
aligns with the desires of individual TCUs/departments, involves
collaboration, emphasizes access to internships for students, and
brings in new or early-career faculty. The pilot underway at Aaniiih
Nakoda College is investigating agricultural water use and
irrigation. Because there has not yet been an extensive rollout of the
program, there is little data to share, but DRI is hoping to get
feedback from stakeholders along the way.

USD Sanford School of Medicine

Office of Diversity and Inclusion
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion assists USD American
Indian students in their pursuit of careers in medicine and
other healthcare professions. The Office engages with
and assists students through:
*
*
*
*

Mentoring
Career and Academic Advising
Cultural support
Engaging students in
opportunities to learn about
healthcare professions
* Providing information about
financial aid and scholarships
* Connecting students with AISES
and other campus organizations

605-658-6300
www.usd.edu/med

ECONOMIC DIVERSITY
DRIVEN BY STEM
Led by Tracy Monteith, senior software
engineer at Microsoft
Tracy Monteith, who has
worked at Microsoft for
more than 20 years,
shared his experience
looking at how Microsoft
interacts with tribes
through sales of software.
After finding out that
Microsoft had only
cursory information on
these sales, Monteith
wanted to enhance the
company's partnerships
with tribes. Through his
presentation, he outlined
how various tribes were
boons for economic
growth, and how Native peoples were at the center of most of this
work. He cited, for instance, the fact that the Cherokee Nation
holds many contracts with the Department of Defense worth
billions of dollars over time, and how the Cherokee people have
become a pipeline of engineers for aerospace technologies.
Monteith also outlined the advantages of business start-ups on
Native lands - a low-cost, eager workforce - and how some of
the best IT companies in the West are Native-owned, mutually
supportive companies. The presentation left a very positive effect
on those who were in attendance.
aises.org

The fabric of our society
is woven with copper

Technology is expanding to benefit nearly
every aspect of our lives. Thanks to STEM.
Thanks to copper.

Denver » 2017 National Conference Wrap-Up * WINDS OF CHANGE 37
http://www.usd.edu/med http://resolutioncopper.com http://www.aises.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Winds of Change - 2017 National Conference Wrap-Up
