Program Need

By all measures (degrees granted, workforce participation etc.), Native Americans are the most underrepresented group in the field of engineering in the US.  In 2011, only 454 engineering degrees (BS, MS and PhDs) were awarded to Native Americans  nationwide. Although Native Americans represent approximately 1% of the US population, they only account for 0.5% of bachelor of engineering degrees awarded in the US. Tribal colleges enroll nearly half of American Indian college students, and as such they remain a key gateway to Native American higher education and attainment of advanced degrees.

Native Americans living on Tribal lands experience some of the highest poverty rates and worst housing conditions in the US. Not only is there a shortage of housing, but much of the existing housing on reservations is inadequate (overcrowded or lacks plumbing/kitchen). At the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, there are, on average, 16 occupants per home.  Similarly, the Crow Tribe of Montana needs to build over 800 new homes, and repair another 500 existing homes to meet the on-reservation housing demand. The housing situation at the Ft. Peck Reservation of Montana is roughly the same magnitude. The creation of sustainable, affordable energy efficient homes is a high priority for the tribes.

A variety of sustainable building materials and construction techniques have been proposed for tribal housing, such as straw bale, structural insulated panels (SIP), and earthen construction. However, significant evaluation and testing in both the laboratory and the field are required to verify the performance of these building technologies to make an appropriate choice for each location.  For this reason, any sustainable solution to the challenges of tribal housing will depend on developing qualified engineering talent within the tribe.