More than 40 American Indian high school students from around the nation will present a set of intriguing engineering and science proposals July 17 that they developed during a residential academic program at CU-Boulder this summer.
The students have been working with faculty and students at the new $11 million Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory as part of the American Indian Science and Engineering Societys Upward Bound Program. The 42 students spent three weeks studying at the unique engineering facility on campus and three weeks at the AISES Environmental Institute in Bailey, Colo.
The proposals include soil, water and air quality comparisons of the students home communities and the impact of diabetes on native American groups. The students also are comparing Indian astronomy beliefs to the scientific research of Western astronomers.
The high school students, who worked together in small teams, will display their engineering project plans on July 17 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the ITLL facility adjacent to the CU-Boulder engineering college. They plan to complete their studies back home during the regular school year, communicating with each other via e-mail, mail and national conferences.
The students attending the AISES program at ITLL are expected to be the first in their families to attend college, said Steve Davis, ITLL exhibits coordinator.
The AISES students represent a significant outreach initiative that has helped set the tone for how the ITLL can be used to reach K-12 groups and serve under-represented audiences, said Davis. For more information contact Davis at 492-4676 or Jim Scott in the public relations office at 492-3114.