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Melanie Lenart, Ph.D.
NATIVE SCIENCE REPORT
Aug 19
Finding Common Ground
New guidelines require federal agencies to include Indigenous knowledge in research, policy and decision making. What does this newfound...
Sep 20, 2022
Money Growing on Trees
Tribes were once criticized for failing to “develop” their land. Now their sustainably managed forests are generating income through...
Sep 9, 2022
Indigenous Climate Conference Offers Hopeful Message
Participants at the recently concluded National Tribal and Indigenous Climate Conference focused on the resilience of Native peoples...
Aug 29, 2022
New USDA Program Promotes Diversity in Agriculture
The $250 million NEXTGEN program will help minority-serving colleges and universities recruit and support students interested in ...
Jun 29, 2022
Healing Mental Health
Bringing more Native Americans into mental health professions. So many aspects of the Indigenous experience in the United States are...
May 29, 2022
Fire as Medicine
Salish Kootenai College’s new graduate program in natural resources emphasizes fire ecology After an early start to fire season in New...
Apr 20, 2022
Agriculture by Design
At the Institute of American Indian Arts, gardening is both an art and a science. At the Institute for American Indian Arts in Santa Fe,...
Mar 29, 2022
Diabetes on Tap
A partnership between the University of Arizona and Diné College is studying the connection between arsenic-contaminated drinking water...
Feb 23, 2022
Greenhouse designed to promote food sovereignty
Diné College is testing a new solar powered greenhouse that grows food hydroponically. Higher yields and year-round harvests are the ...
Feb 8, 2022
Indigenous Knowledge Goes to Washington
The Biden administration is pledging to incorporate traditional ecological knowledge into federal policy making. Tribal leaders support...
Dec 19, 2021
Bringing a River Back to Life
As the desert southwest becomes hotter and drier, the Gila River Indian Community of Arizona is showing how it’s possible to both restore...
Dec 7, 2021
Weaving Worldviews
In a climate many outsiders find inhospitable, Iḷisaġvik College science instructor Linda Nicholas-Figueroa, a transplant from the...
Nov 2, 2021
Searching for Equity in Agriculture
Federal funding to tribal colleges for agriculture-related programs will grow, but not as much as hoped, according to speakers at the ...
Oct 5, 2021
Plants as Partners
Students at the College of the Muscogee Nation in Oklahoma are using plants to remove heavy metals from wetlands contaminated by oil ...
Aug 20, 2021
Just Good Business
In a state where oil is king, North Dakota’s tribal colleges are putting their bets on renewable energy. North Dakota isn’t the first...
Jul 13, 2021
New Beginnings on Ancestral Land
Inspired by South Dakota State University’s Wokini Initiative and supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s New ...
May 21, 2021
Shifting Seasons
A phenology project at College of Menominee Nation is monitoring the impact of climate change on the region’s forests. . If plants could...
May 5, 2021
Combining Cultures
To attract and support Native students in science, STEM faculty can—and should—more fully integrate western and Native worldviews,...
Mar 24, 2021
Getting to Know the Trees
Leech Lake Tribal College’s growing forestry program will help the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe manage a recently expanded land base. After...
Jan 20, 2021
A New Era
Free tuition, bigger Pell grants, and more support for STEM research, healthcare, and broadband are among Biden administration policy...
Nov 21, 2020
Small Grants, Big Impact
The National Science Foundation’s Small Grants for Research program promotes faculty recruitment and retention within tribal colleges,...
Oct 31, 2020
Building Better Research Relationships
Scholars from mainstream institutions too often see Native peoples simply as a source of data. A recent webinar outlined the problem...
Sep 30, 2020
Being a Good Ancestor
Native communities must become leaders in the fight against climate change. “I see this as a crisis,” said Winona LaDuke in an address...
Aug 31, 2020
Listen First
Salish Kootenai College’s new Indigenous Research Center draws on the expertise of Native scholars nationwide. What makes scholarly...
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