An Introduction to the NSF EPSCoR RII Track 2 Project: Sustainable Engineering Infrastructures and Solutions for Tribal Energy Sovereignty (TES).

This ND – KS RII Track 2 project is creating technologies and infrastructure that will provide potential solutions for energy outages and shortages in Tribal communities while enhancing pathways into STEM careers for Native students. R&D focuses on building energy roadmaps for Tribal Nation communities based on technology advancements plus environmental, economic and social impacts assessments for: 1) power, heat and fuel generation, 2) power, heat and fuel distribution, and 3) supply resiliency. TES broader impacts activities include establishing an INgineering program at the three participating research universities, engagement of TCU students in TES research activities, project-based learning of culturally relevant engineering design, and faculty/graduate student training and mentoring. The TES leads are PI Wayne Seames, co-PI Bethany Klemetsrud, UND assistant professor of chemical engineering, Hongyu Wu, Kansas State University professor of electrical engineering, and Adam Gladen, North Dakota State University associate professor of mechanical engineering. Other participants include Haskell Indian Nations University, Turtle Mountain Community College, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, and the Tribal Nations Research Group. This foundational project is part of a larger effort,