A goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities of specific institutions of higher education that serve the Nation's indigenous students. The PEEC-II track provides support for studies or educational research conducted by institutions that have had earlier Pre-Engineering Education Collaborative (PEEC) awards. The intent of PEEC-II is to capture, analyze, and disseminate the impact of these awards on the participating institutions, faculty, or students, and their communities. PEEC and PEEC-II are partnerships between TCUP and the Directorate for Engineering.
During PEEC-I, Oglala Lakota College (OLC) in conjunction with collaborators the College of Engineering at the South Dakota State University (SDSU) and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT), referred to as OLC/SDSU/SDSMT PEEC (OSSPEEC), established infrastructure and capacity for students entering OLC to graduate from SDSU or SDSMT with engineering degrees. In PEEC-II, they will investigate the impact of the OSSPEEC model, which emphasizes the importance of experiential learning, incorporation of the Lakota world view and cultural perspective in engineering learning and decision making, and development of self-confidence in solving engineering problems.
The intellectual merit of this project lies in understanding the value of the OSSPEEC model and what factors lead to American Indian success in pre-engineering and engineering programs. The integrated research and experiential learning aspects of the project have the potential to generate knowledge related to water resources and geological engineering on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The broader impacts of this project will be 1) increased diversity in a globally engaged engineering workforce, 2) expanded tribal ability to address issues related to land use, drinking water, and sustainable housing and food production, and 3) a model of culturally centered classroom activities and relevant co-curricular research, project and maker activities.
