This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Oglala Lakota College (OLC) is a tribal college on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Yuowanca Okiya (Helping Science and Education Come Together) will renovate laboratory space into a multi-disciplinary facility solely dedicated to undergraduate research. The Oglala Lakota Center for Science and Technology (OLCST) is the 12 million acre Pine Ridge reservation's only research laboratory. OLC has been a leader in tribal college STEM activities since the 1990's through the MIE, TCUP and other NSF programs. Yuowanca Okiya will explore creative, original and transformative concepts by furthering independent research by a tribal college on an Indian Reservation and in collaboration with other universities. Yuowanca Okiya broadens the participation of Native Americans who are the most underrepresented group in all STEM areas. Funds will be provided to: 1. create necropsy laboratory by installing a fume hood, necropsy station, and storage cabinets; 2. refurbish the bacteria laboratory by installing a sink and storage cabinets to permit microbial analysis 3. remodel the earth science laboratory by installing two fume hoods, storage cabinets, and a Millipore water treatment system 4. remodel the conservation biology and natural resources curation facility by adding climate control and museum storage cabinets for dry collections (botanical, zoological, geological, palentological) 5. provide climate control for the GIS remote sensing laboratory 6. add cabinets and electrical outlets to the instrument laboratories for preparation and analyses of liquids and solids. 7. Add a cabinet for formaldehyde preserved specimens to the ventilated chemical storage room.
Oglala Lakota College (OLC) is a tribal college on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The Math, Science, and Technology Department utilizes hands-on field and laboratory activities to support coursework and K-12 outreach. Each summer approximately 25 students from OLC and our collaborators from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, South Dakota State University and beyond work collaboratively with Tribal programs to better understand and protect the natural and cultural resources of the Pine Ridge reservation. Yuowanca Okiya (Helping Science and Education Come Together) award provided funding to renovate laboratory space into a multi-disciplinary facility dedicated to undergraduate research. The renovations: 1) converted an unused hallway into a necropsy laboratory 2) finished a microbiology laboratory, 3. remodeled the earth science, and instrument laboratories. Remodeled the conservation biology and natural resources curation facility by adding climate control and museum storage cabinets for biology, zoology, geology and paleontology and provided space for preserved macroinvertebrate specimens. Intellectual Merit: The OLCST is the 12 million acre Pine Ridge reservation's only research laboratory. Yuowanca Okiya renovation has provided on and off the reservation researchers and collaborators with facilities to preserve botanical, zoological, paleontological, and rock specimens to support research. Furthermore, we now have the space to prepare and analyze biological and chemical samples. The renovation has enhanced and extended the undergraduate research experience into new areas, and enhanced course content and curriculum. OLC faculty researchers and OLC student interns are currently utilizing the Yuowanca Okciyaremodeled laboratories to conduct environmental research on the Pine Ridge reservation in four major areas: stream health, geology and paleontology, organic chemistry, and conservation biology. Mr. Charles Jason Tinant (PI) is evaluating the Pine Ridge reservation stream health using stream flow, stream chemistry, and macroinvertebrate composition in order to understand the effects of stream flow on macroinvertebrate community structure, macroinvertebrate food sources, and on changes to macroinvertebrate habitat resulting from human land use change. Understanding stream health provides us with opportunities to protect streams through the implementation of best management practices. Mr. Tinant's major collaborator is the Oglala Sioux Tribe Environmental Protection Program. Dr. Hannan LaGarry (Co-PI) is tracking the paleontology and cultural history of the Pine Ridge reservation through White River Group mammalian and fossils and cultural artifacts. Dr. LaGarry collaborates with the Tribal Historical Preservation Office (THPO) to preserve the Oglala Sioux Tribe's cultural resources. Dr LaGarry's other project is to understand the stratigraphy of the Tertiary aged White River Group and Arikaree Group geology of the Pine Ridge reservation by looking for rare elements and volcanic glass in soil samples taken from geologic outcrops. Dr. LaGarry's major collaborators are Dr. Jon Marcott of the University of Illinois-Champagne-Urbana and Dr. David Fox of the University of Minnesota Dr. Deig Sandoval is looking for novel new medicines in Native plants and is working with the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology faculty to extract biodiesel from switchgrass. This chemistry research utilizes cultural plant traditions and native plants to provide possible new medicines and sustainable fuels from the prairie. Ms. Ale Higa is working to understand the diversity of Pine Ridge reservation small mammals, the habitat requirements for the rare Box Turtle and the health of the Oglala Sioux Tribe's bison herd. Understanding small mammals diversity is important for the Tribe's effort to reintroduce the Swift Fox to the Pine Ridge reservation. The health of the bison herd has been declining and Ms. Higa is working to discover if the reason is genetics, parasites, or if something is missing from the bison pasture. Ms. Higa's major collaborators are the Oglala Sioux Parks and Recreation Association and the genetics laboratory at Black Hills State University. Broader Impacts: Yuowanca Okiya broadens the participation of Native Americans who are the most underrepresented group in all STEM areas. Oglala Lakota College has over 1,700 students enrolled in the Fall of 2009 of whom 90% are Native American and 70% are women. Yuowanca Okiya has provided us with infrastructure to do in-depth research on the Reservation. Yuowanca Okiya has provided our students with a research facility for coursework in junior and senior level classes including: paleontology, laboratory equipment, conservation biology, and watershed assessment. Yuowanca Okiya has allowed us to work more closely with Oglala Sioux Tribal programs in areas where they need research. Yuowanca Okiya has benefited the Oglala Lakota society in practical ways like improving water quality, wildlife and natural resource management, and thorough the protection of cultural resources.
