NASA and AIHEC Launch New Program to Bridge Gap of American Indians in Science and Engineering; Summer Research Experience Program Equips American Indians with Tools to Reach for the Stars.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), together with NASA, today announced the launch of the NASA AIHEC Summer Research Experience (SRE) Program - a strategic approach to inspire young American Indians to pursue careers in science and engineering. Sixty participants representing 14 Tribal Colleges and Universities partnered with seven of NASA's space, flight and research centers for 8-10 week programs this summer.

American Indians and the Alaska Native population comprise 1.5% of the total U.S. population according to the 2000 U.S. Census. The National Science Foundation cites this population group as only .3% of the U.S. science and engineering workforce.

"American Indians are under-represented in the fields of science and engineering," said Gerald Gipp, Ph.D., executive director of AIHEC. "The NASA AIHEC Summer Research Experience Program is a critical step to changing that equation by encouraging young American Indians to pursue careers in science and engineering while also building a welcoming environment that nurtures their career path."

"We welcome Tribal College and University student and faculty teams to join NASA scientists and engineers in conducting hands on research at our centers as we implement the Vision for Space Exploration," said Angela Phillips Diaz, NASA acting assistant administrator for education. "We look upon this summer as the beginning of a long-standing partnership with the Tribal Colleges to inspire the next generation of innovators and explorers in science and engineering career fields."

Participants in the SRE Program will be assigned to research and engineering teams working on a broad range of topics, including robotics, 3-D design, geospatial data analysis and astrobiology. One goal of the program is to foster long-term relationships between the students and their research mentors at the NASA centers.

About AIHEC

Founded in 1972 by the presidents of the nation's first six Tribal Colleges, as an informal collaboration among member colleges, AIHEC is comprised of 34 colleges in the United States and one Canadian institution. AIHEC is the collective spirit and unifying voice of our nation's Tribal Colleges and Universities. AIHEC provides leadership and influences public policy on American Indian higher education issues through advocacy, research and program initiatives; promotes and strengthens Indigenous languages, cultures, communities and tribal nations; and through its unique position, serves member institutions and emerging Tribal Colleges and Universities. For additional information, please visit www.aihec.org or www.nasa.gov.

Editor's Note: For a complete list of participating Tribal Colleges, students, faculty and NASA facilities, please reach Brett West.