TEA Center: “Tó éí Ĺíná át’é”- “Water is Life” Center at Dine' College

A goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the intellectual leadership of TCUP institutions so that they can address scientific or engineering needs or interests, specifically for their tribes or communities, or broadly for the Nation. The TCU Enterprise Advancement Centers (TEA Centers) strand allows TCUP institutions to capitalize on their investments in STEM instructional and research capacity.

This project aligns directly with that goal, and will have a direct impact on tribal communities on the Navajo Nation. Diné College’s Water is Life (Tó éí íná át’é) Center aims to enhance water security and transform research capacity at the institution.

Diné College intends to develop core analytical laboratory facilities for chemical, molecular, and microbiological and establish a research database and archive of water and biological samples to support its Water is Life Center. The center’s central theme extends to ecosystem services within marshlands and riparian corridors impacting the water system and food resources relying on the water system.

Research in various aspects of this network includes water quality, microbial diversity, pesticide load, and gene expression in response to environmental stress. The center aims to develop and test home-sized, off-grid solar water nanofiltration systems to support communities who are disproportionately affected by poor water quality. By transforming the nature of research conducted by the institution, the center seeks to advance knowledge and provide empirical data, data ownership, and deeper engagement opportunities students and citizens of the Navajo Nation.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.