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Melanie Lenart, Ph.D.
NATIVE SCIENCE REPORT
Sep 12
Keeping Watch
In a region scarred by coal mining, a new research center at Chief Dull Knife College is helping the Northern Cheyenne Reservation of...
Sep 11
Credit Where Credit is Needed
South Dakota State University’s “Expanding the Circle” program is helping tribal college STEM faculty gain credentials needed to teach...
Sep 11
Will Teslas Become the New Rez Car?
Federal money is available to tribes interested in purchasing electric vehicles. Weekly listening sessions held by the Institute for...
Sep 11
A Mixed Report Card
Fewer American Indians and Alaska Natives are pursuing STEM degrees, according a new federal report, but more are employed in...
Sep 11
PhD in Diné Culture at Navajo Tech
It’s the first doctoral program offered by a tribal college. By Melanie Lenart Navajo Technical University President Elmer Guy stands...
Sep 11
Water-related Research Featured at TCU Symposium
The 2023 Tribal Colleges and Universities Program Research Symposium, held at the National Science Foundation’s headquarters, highlighted...
Sep 11
Lack of Funding Threatens Sacred Sites
A congressional roundtable convened by Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva proposed legislation to create a Climate Heritage Office and called for...
Sep 11
Studying Up on Treaty Rights
The Biden administration is hoping to strengthen understanding of tribal treaty and reserved rights among federal employees through...
Sep 11
A Bumpy Road for Electric Vehicles
Extreme weather, long driving distances and a shortage of charging stations can discourage use of electric vehicles on many reservations....
Sep 11
NSF Sets Higher Bar for Research Proposals Affecting Tribes
The National Science Foundation will soon require researchers to gain prior approval from tribal governments for any proposal that “may...
Sep 5
In the Gravy
Native ranchers could profit from Americans’ insatiable appetite for beef By Melanie Lenart Photo by Scott Bauer, courtesy of USDA...
Sep 5
New Funding Opportunities for Tribes and Tribal Colleges
During a May 7 webinar, representatives of multiple federal agencies shared information about programs supporting student research,...
Sep 5
Ag Secretary Says Co-Stewardship Must Be More Than Words
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, speaking at the NCAI’s Mid-year Convention, said co-stewardship agreements will be a “false...
Aug 28
Using, not Losing, Indigenous Knowledge
At the First American Land-Grant Consortium annual conference, tribal educators learned about a new USDA program that will bring millions...
Aug 28
Haskell Receives $20 Million Climate Change Grant
The largest award ever made to a tribal college will investigate the impact of climate change on coastal regions from Alaska to Puerto...
Aug 22
Putting Pine Ridge on the Map
Oglala Lakota College is using the power of big data to develop flood maps that will help protect the reservation in a changing climate...
Aug 22
Small Grids, Big Power
Federal grants to reservations and tribal colleges are accelerating the development of “microgrids”— small-scale electrical systems that...
Aug 22
Biden Administration Promises Less Paperwork
At the recently concluded Tribal Nations Summit, President Biden signed an executive order directing agencies to streamline grant...
Aug 22
A Nation of Scientists
When a river flowing through the Navajo Nation turned toxic from the 2015 Gold King Mine spill, scientists turned to tribal members for...
Aug 22
Building Climate Resilience
By sharing information and working together, tribes can learn to thrive in a hotter, more arid world, according to speakers and...
Aug 22
“Extinct” Mexican Tribe Fights for Access to Sacred Mountain
The Caxcan tribe of central Mexico is barred from carrying out traditional ceremonies on a mountain that the Mexican government now...
Aug 22
Working With Fire
To counteract climate change and decades of wrongheaded federal policy, Native nations must become active participants in the stewardship...
Aug 20
Whose DNA Is It Anyway?
As genetic engineering advances, Indigenous activists are working to protect ancient seeds from exploitation. By Melanie Lenart The...
Aug 19
Safekeeping Native Knowledge
Once ignored, traditional Indigenous knowledge is now valued. How much should tribes actually share? By Melanie Lenart Billy Adams...
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