VENTURES-Vision for Excellence at Navajo Technical University in Research and Education in STEM

Navajo Technical University, Crownpoint NM

Investigators

Abstract

Navajo Technical University (NTU) is one of the premier institutions of higher education in the Navajo Nation, providing a unique balance among science, engineering, technology, tradition, and identity rooted in the Dine Philosophy of Education: Nitsahakees, Nahata, Iina, and Siihasin. The proposed project, Vision for Excellence at NTU in Research and Education in STEM (VENTURES), will develop a partnership between NTU and the NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Harvard University. By providing research and educational opportunities in materials science that address environmental and health concerns of the Navajo Nation, the partnership will build robust pathways for under-represented Native American students (Navajo) in STEM, from K-12 to undergraduate, and from undergraduate to graduate programs. The goals of this partnership are to: 1) increase the number of Native Americans earning undergraduate degrees in STEM fields, 2) increase the research infrastructure at NTU so that students and faculty can perform research within their own community, 3) increase the number of Native Americans entering and completing graduate programs in materials science and related fields, and 4) include Native American perspectives and methods of inquiry in materials science research. Additionally, the research program will allow for ample opportunities for students and faculty to communicate back to and receive feedback from the Navajo community via work with K-12 schools, and the Navajo Chapter Houses. Technology transfer from Harvard to NTU will facilitate growth at NTU in research activities in materials science and engineering; concomitantly, the collaboration will draw upon Navajo traditional knowledge and ways of learning in defining and implementing the research and educational activities. Research and educational results with joint authorship from the partnership will also be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. The two materials research areas in this award are relevant to health and environmental issues that are of immediate importance to the Navajo Nation. Research area 1, which will focus on materials and techniques for detection of low concentrations of pollutants, is motivated by the long history of uranium mining on the Navajo Nation, as well as more recent extraction activities, such as fracking. Research area 2, which will study mechanical properties of cell membranes, will help to address a growing health concern for the Navajo people - a rising incidence of high cholesterol and associated coronary disease. Professor Thiagarajan Soundappan (Navajo Technical University), and Professor David Weitz (Harvard University) will lead collaborative teams of 8-10 faculty from NTU and Harvard. Collaborative research teams in research area 1 will develop and test electrodes for detection of mining contaminants, and develop microfluidics-based laboratory models for flow and detection of contaminants through soil. Research area 2 will investigate the ability of phytosterols to act as cholesterol surrogates and how they modify the sterol profile of mammalian cell membranes, as well as examine the resulting membrane biophysical properties (using capillary microfluidic techniques). By linking each research area to an issue of concern to the Navajo people, this team will be able to achieve the objectives of increasing enrollment in STEM fields at NTU, and will inspire students to continue to graduate research in materials and related fields. In addition, the highly accessible research techniques can be readily adapted into courses at NTU and outreach activities to the Navajo Nation, incorporating cultural knowledge and practices. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.