Pre-College Education

gidaa STEM Programs

The CCEFP is placing a special focus on the American Indian population with the goal of increasing the number of American Indian students choosing college level STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) tracks. The CCEFP American Indian Programs are centered at the University of Minnesota because of the large number of Tribal Colleges in the upper Midwest and the large population of American Indians in Minnesota and its surrounding states. Two programs are key to this effort:

gidaa STEM Camps: Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, together with the National Center for Earth-Surface Dynamics, organizes camps known as gidakiimanaaniwigamig (Our Earth Lodge, in Anishinaabe), for students in 3rd through 10th grade. Offered as a day-camp, once per month, the G-Camps provide students with a mix of lab science and field science experiences. Program highlights include an introduction to the scientific method and a focus on American Indian culture. The same consortium offers a FIRST Lego League and a FIRST Tech Challenge program. These activities provide STEM opportunities for younger students and are a feeder to the high school FIRST Robotics program. [Project Leaders: Alyssa Burger, UMN; Holly Pellerin, Cloquet]

Native American FIRST Robotics Teams: Building on the experiences of the 2008 and 2009 Minnesota FIRST Robotics Regional in which two Native American teams (Team 2510 from Cloquet and Team 3036 from Deer River) participated under the mentorship of the CCEFP, the goal of this project is to each year increase the number of Native American FIRST teams engaged in FIRST competitions, beginning at the Minnesota regional level.

[Project Leader: Will Durfee, UMN]