Tribal Internship Students Energize Alternative Fuel Science
July 4th, 2010 | Published in Culture, Education, Science, Social Issues
Newsroom, Argonne National Laboratory
People are discovering that Tribal lands represent enormous potential for the production of renewable energy, and this translates into money for the tribal members. Money for better health care, schools, and living conditions.
According to the statistics,
“The 55 million acres of land across the nation controlled by Native American tribes can potentially produce an estimated 535 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from wind power and more than 17 trillion kilowatt-hours from solar energy. These projections are equivalent to more than four times the amount of electricity generated annually in the United States, and represent new economic and employment opportunities for many Native American communities.”
Argonne National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of the Interior are working together to develop training opportunities that will educate future tribal leaders on the importance of energy resource development and environmental evaluations. The programs are Tribal Energy Internships and the Indian Education Renewable Energy Challenge.
Argonne is hosting an internship program for summer (this will be it’s second year) specifically for American Indians and Alaska Native college students. This year, the program will include students from the following tribes: Quapaw, Navajo, Shoshone Bannock, Seneca Nation, Confederated Salish and Kootenai, and Eastern Shoshone, Cherokee.
Tony Dvorak, director of Argonne’s Environmental Science Division, make this observation,
“Despite being rich in renewable resource potential, many tribes struggle with poverty and soaring unemployment. This program helps develop renewable energy resources locally that can create jobs and revenue opportunities for tribal communities.”
Students will spend their summer working on a variety of research projects, and will have the opportunity to work with Argonne mentors.
Several colleges already involved in the program are Little Big Horn College, University of New Mexico and San Juan College.
All interested students, parents, and educators should read this article and follow up by speaking to the appropriate organizations. Click on any of the highlited areas to receive contact information.
