My name is Stacey L. Sanchez. I am currently working with Craig Campbell, Tribal Affairs Coordinator for ADEC. My project with ADEC entails research on Native American sites that are relevant to educational effectiveness research questions. This will include information research, data gathering, and review as related to the goals and objectives of the NSF satellite Internet extension grant. I have assisted with the preparation for tribal site visits and presentations.
I've assisted with the ADEC tribal affairs coordinator in gathering information and related project tasks and activities. I've attended tribal college consultations in Nebraska; Little Priest Tribal College, and Nebraska Indian Community College in Macy, South Sioux City, and Santee. During a site visit at Little Priest Tribal College, I had the opportunity to meet with Greg Monaco, Project Director for the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Through my personal observations, I witnessed the difficulties the tribal colleges have with limited Internet access. Living in the city, we take advantage of Internet speed capabilities while living in these remote areas we often forget how lucky we are when it comes to quick access.
As a result in networking, a fellow UNL student, Debra Richards, expressed an interest in the Omaha Tribe. A consultation meeting was held with the Nebraska Indian Community College located in Macy, Nebraska, one of the NICC staff members expressed a need for a researcher in the field of diabetic care and related health issues. Consequently, Ms. Richards had applied for a related research position and was accepted as a researcher for the Omaha Tribe.
During the fall of 2001, I had an opportunity to attend the Richard Tapia Symposium in Houston, TX. It was an experience unlike any other. There were many educators from different fields ranging from education to engineering. I have made some contacts that I plan on using with my current research.
The research I am currently working on focuses on the apprehensiveness of Native women when dealing with math, science, and pre-engineering classes. This project will entail the reason why many Native women avoid these classes. For this project, I will be working with the female students at Little Priest Tribal College. Most of the research will be through interviews and on-site visits with these students. There will be a number of follow up interviews with these students during the fall.
I will be attending the annual Distance Teaching and Learning conference in Madison, WI. We will incorporate information on the tribal colleges promoting the Advanced Internet Satellite Extension Project (AISEP) sites. In addition, there will be a booth that will contain information on tribal colleges. A map will be provided to show where the tribal colleges are located.
With all these projects, I hope to experience the art of networking. I have made wonderful contacts that I am utilizing for other research projects. As an Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) student, I have gained the knowledge that will give me a step up from my other peers. I have learned so much from different people, and continue to share my knowledge that will benefit others.