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

VENTURES-纳瓦霍技术大学 STEM 研究和教育卓越愿景

• 批准号: 1828012
• 负责人: Thiagarajan Soundappan
• 金额: $ 60万
• 依托单位: Navajo Technical University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-09-01 至 2022-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1828012&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: VENTURES; Vision; Excellence; Navajo; Technical

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.

纳瓦霍技术大学（NTU）是纳瓦霍民族高等教育的首要机构之一，在科学，工程，技术，传统和身份之间提供了独特的平衡，植根于教育的Dine哲学：Nitsahahaiti，Nahata，Iina和Siihasin。拟议的项目，在干研究和教育（风险投资公司）在NTU卓越的愿景，将发展NTU和NSF材料研究科学与工程中心（MRSEC）在哈佛大学之间的伙伴关系。通过提供材料科学方面的研究和教育机会，解决纳瓦霍民族的环境和健康问题，该伙伴关系将为代表性不足的美洲原住民学生（纳瓦霍人）在STEM中建立强大的途径，从K-12到本科，从本科到研究生课程。这一伙伴关系的目标是：1）增加获得STEM领域本科学位的美国原住民人数，2）增加NTU的研究基础设施，使学生和教师可以在自己的社区内进行研究，3）增加进入并完成材料科学及相关领域研究生课程的美国原住民人数，4）在材料科学研究中纳入美洲原住民的观点和探究方法。此外，该研究计划将允许学生和教师有足够的机会通过与K-12学校和纳瓦霍分会的合作与纳瓦霍社区进行沟通并获得反馈。从哈佛到南大的技术转移将促进南大在材料科学与工程研究活动方面的发展;同时，合作将利用纳瓦霍传统知识和学习方法来定义和实施研究和教育活动。该伙伴关系的共同作者的研究和教育成果也将在同行评审的期刊和会议上传播。该奖项中的两个材料研究领域与纳瓦霍民族直接重要的健康和环境问题有关。研究领域1将专注于检测低浓度污染物的材料和技术，其动机是纳瓦霍民族铀矿开采的悠久历史，以及最近的开采活动，如水力压裂。研究领域2将研究细胞膜的机械特性，这将有助于解决纳瓦霍人日益增长的健康问题-高胆固醇和相关冠状动脉疾病的发病率上升。Thiagarajan Soundappan教授（纳瓦霍技术大学）和大卫韦茨教授（哈佛大学）将领导来自NTU和哈佛的8-10名教师的合作团队。研究领域1的合作研究小组将开发和测试用于检测采矿污染物的电极，并开发基于微流体的实验室模型，用于通过土壤检测污染物。研究领域2将研究植物甾醇作为胆固醇替代物的能力，以及它们如何改变哺乳动物细胞膜的甾醇谱，并研究由此产生的膜生物物理特性（使用毛细管微流体技术）。通过将每个研究领域与纳瓦霍人关注的问题联系起来，该团队将能够实现增加NTU STEM领域入学率的目标，并将激励学生继续进行材料和相关领域的研究生研究。此外，高度可及的研究技术可以很容易地被改编成课程在南大和推广活动到纳瓦霍民族，纳入文化知识和实践。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得支持的评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。