Sustained Economic Growth of the Oglala Lakota Nation through Development of the Technological Infrastructure

Oglala Lakota College（OLC）是一所由部落控制和社区管理的四年制学术机构，拥有1300名学生，位于南达科他州（SD）松岭保留区的十个学院中心。学生基础是大约90%的美国印第安人。 作为六个NSF指定的卓越示范机构（MIE）之一，OLC已经开发了基础设施，提供科学，工程，数学和技术（SMET）学位，并增加美国原住民继续研究生院的数量。 我们目前与SD矿业技术学院（SDSM T）和SD州立大学有一般合作协议。 自1995年以来，OLC的MIE计划在SMET领域开发了五个新的认证学位。目前，由于缺乏合格的设施和专业知识，Oglala Lakota Nation被迫将所有分析工作外包给保留地外的实验室。我们的长期目标是培养一批高技能的科学家和实验室技术人员，他们将作为自雇企业家或雇佣员工为社区服务。此外，我们的中小型企业方案的主要缺点之一是缺乏配备现代分析设备的实验室设施。这对我们的学生在职业生涯的各个阶段都造成了不利影响。我们提出了一个多方面的方法来发展我们机构和整个保留地的技术基础设施。 我们将建立一个研究中心，容纳几个联邦和州认证的实验室，这将为我们提供在化学、环境科学和生物学领域进行研究和日常分析工作的能力。 本提案与SDSM T和黑山州立大学在这些领域的三名教员签订了合作协议。 我们将积极寻求与部落机构的合作伙伴关系，以提供研究和分析服务。这确保了部落机构分配的资金的很大一部分将重新注入保留地经济。我们的教师和学生将接受合作者的设备培训，并通过工业短期课程，讲习班和研讨会。 合作者和教师都将启动研究项目，让我们的学生利用新设备。我们将通过开发新的分析实验室课程和加强现有的科学课程来加强我们的课程。最后，学生和教师将接触保留社区，帮助他们解决他们对经济发展和环境的担忧。 学生和教师还将在保留地学校教授SMET课程，并将为教师和学生开放实验室，以激发科学知识和好奇心。

Oglala Lakota College (OLC) is a tribally controlled and community governed four-yearacademic institution with 1300 students located in ten college centers across thePine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota (SD). The student base is approximately 90%American Indian. As one of six NSF-designated Model Institutions for Excellence (MIE), OLC has developed the infrastructure to offer Science, Engineering, Math andTechnology (SMET) degrees and increase the number of Native Americans continuing on to graduate school. We currently have general collaboration agreements with the SD School of Mines & Technology (SDSM&T) and SD State University. Since 1995, the MIE Program at OLC has developed five new accredited degrees in the SMET areas.Presently the Oglala Lakota Nation is forced to outsource all analytical work to off-reservation labs due to the lack of qualified facilities and expertise. Our long-term goal is to train a pool of highly skilled scientists and lab technicians who will servetheir communities as self-employed entrepreneurs or hired employees. Also, one of the major shortcomings of our SMET programs is the lack of lab facilities with modern analytical equipment. This creates a disadvantage for our students at every level of their career.We propose a multifaceted approach to develop the technological infrastructure of ourinstitution and the reservation as a whole. We will build a research center housing several federal and state certified labs that will provide us with the capacity to conductresearch and routine analytical work in the areas of chemistry, environmental science, and biology. Collaboration agreements with three faculty members at SDSM&T and Black HillsState University in these areas are procured for this proposal. We will actively seek partnerships with tribal agencies to provide research and analytic services. This insuresthat a significant portion of the funding allocated by tribal agencies would be re-infusedinto the reservation economy. This would also sustain the project beyond NSF funding.Our faculty and students will be trained on the equipment by the collaborators andthrough industrial short courses, workshops and seminars. Both collaborators and faculty will initiate research projects involving our students utilizing the new equipment. We will strengthen our curriculum by developing new analytical lab classes and byenhancing existing sciencecourses. Finally, students and faculty will reach out to reservation communities to help them address their concerns about economic development and the environment. Students and faculty will also teach SMETclasses at reservation schools and will open up the labs for teachers and students to stimulate scientific knowledge and curiosity .