IOWA FIRST NATIONS SUMMER PROGRAM

OUR 17TH YEAR

 

The Iowa First Nations Summer Program is a continuation of one of the original sixteen Comprehensive Enrichment Programs that were created 1988 by the American Indian Science & Engineering (AISES). With the support of several universities throughout the country, the primary focus of these programs was to encourage more Native Americans in the secondary years of education to seek professional careers in engineering and science-related fields. The University of Iowa began its participation with the Life Science program in 1990. In 1998, AISES discontinued supporting high school summer programs in order to maintain its growing commitment to serve the needs of Native Americans attending college. Since then, The University of Iowa (UI) began sponsoring the Life Science portion, and is one of a few universities that continues to sustain the original intentions and growth of the program.

This is the eighth year that the total sponsorship and support of the CEP has been taken over by the UI Opportunity at Iowa office. Because the University of Iowa relied on AISES for its pool of students to choose from in the past, recruitment of students has been limited to only a few states. These are the states with Native American tribes that have traditonal and historical connections to the state of Iowa, although our policy is to accept students from all tribes.

The Life Science-based program runs for three weeks and focuses on the environment, microbiology, and the relationship between science and prehistoric Native American cultures. The students attend daily classes and are divided into small, manageable groups called Clans. Each Clan is required to research specific environmental factors which impact the growth of certain microorganisms.  They are then required to report their findings during a final presentation at the end of the program. The students are furnished with lab space from the College of Medicine in the Medical Education department to conduct college-level experiments necessary for their projects which includes proper use of lab equipment, handling and identification of microorganism, staining and sterile techniques and dna isolation. In addition to the microbial research, the students conduct wildlife and water studies with the assistance of the Iowa City Water Department, the Iowa City Wastewater Treatment Plant, Iowa State Game Fish and Parks and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Learning about the culture of the early inhabitants of North America, and how they adapted to their environment through the development of science and technology is incorporated through presentations from instructors of the UI American Indian Studies Department. The Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) also presents classroom activities and allows the students to partake in actual archaeological digs.

Computer technology is an essential and integral part of the program, and the students are required to expend a great deal of time learning how to apply computer technology to their regular course work and to develop their presentations using the computer as the vehicle to accomplish this. Technology instruction and computer labs are provided by the UI College of Education Learning Resource Center.

When the students are not doing class work, they participate in other academic activities such as tours conducted by the Iowa Hall Museum of Natural History; a visit to the Lake Macbride Raptor Project, and visiting a fossil site at the Devonian Gorge maintained by the U.S. Corps of Engineers.

Although the academic portion of the program is intense, the students preoccupy themselves in social activities like team-building, sports, swimming, canoeing, skating, dances, bowling, and having fun at an amusement park during their off hours.

The success of this program is accredited to the many contributions and support of all of the above University of Iowa departments and offices, The state of Iowa, the city of Iowa City, all of the Native American tribes involved, and the devotion of all the people that donate their time and energy to support this wonderful and unique program.

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For more information about summer programs contact:

Dr. Joe Coulter, 24 Phillips Hall, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 or Phone: (319) 335-3555..

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