Inter-University Research Partnership Meeting

PURPOSE:  To leverage expertise across a variety of institutions and organizations to deliver the most innovative proof of concept solutions to Indigenous communities on topics related to Technology, Infrastructure, and Culture.

NEED:  Indigenous communities across the United States are in dire need of culturally tailored engineering solutions to resolve a host of infrastructure challenges.  These needs are further complicated by the historical disconnect between western approaches to delivering these services and Indigenous perspectives on how solutions should be constructed.  The aim of the alliance is to provide an agile and capable team to outreach and deliver best science, innovation, and culturally sensitive proof of concept projects that support Indigenous culture and sovereignty. 

SUMMARY: On March 3rd, 2022, the USACE Tribal Nations Technical Center of Expertise hosted an inter-university research partnership meeting to align University and Federal research and technical services with the upcoming infrastructure work in Indian Country. Meeting participants included representatives from the University of Alabama, the Alabama Water Institute, the University of New Mexico, Mississippi State University, the University of Georgia, and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Attendees discussed their institution’s research capabilities and resources, upcoming infrastructure work, and next steps toward collaboration. Attendees resolved to develop an alliance for the creation of resilient Indigenous infrastructure.

The US National Archives holds 374 treaties between Indigenous peoples and the United States, known as the Ratified Indian Treaties. The US National Archives has conserved and digitized the treaties. Here you can see the original documents spanning more than 100 years. Most are available now and more will be added as the National Archives completes the preservation and scanning. 

IDA Treaties Explorer

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) jointly released new government-wide guidance  and an accompanying implementation memorandum for Federal Agencies on recognizing and including Indigenous Knowledge in Federal research, policy, and decision making. This announcement coincides with the Biden-Harris Administration’s 2022 Tribal Nations Summit and responds to a 2021 OSTP-CEQ memorandum that called for development of the guidance with Tribal consultation and Indigenous community engagement, as well as agency, expert, and public input.

Check out the full press release here.