TCU Advanced Manufacturing Network Meeting

A goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities of specific institutions of higher education that serve the Nation's indigenous students. Expanding the research and development capacity at these institutions expands the opportunities for students to pursue challenging, rewarding careers in STEM fields, provides for research studies in areas that may be locally relevant, and encourages a faculty community to look beyond the traditional classroom for intellectual and professional growth.

This project aligns directly with that goal, and moreover it will build and enhance partnerships among TCUP institutions, tribal nations, local industries, and university partners in developing the nation’s workforce and strengthening economies. The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) aims to organize and convene a group stakeholders focused on building a Tribal Advanced Manufacturing Network.

The project aims to be a significant step in developing a national distributed manufacturing workforce involving multiple Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), coordinating curriculum development, training, and research partnerships that improve economic development on tribal nations.

The project aims to bring together tribal economic development stakeholders, which includes TCUs, tribal economic development agencies, industry representatives in the manufacturing sector, and university engineering departments to review the state of advanced manufacturing programs at TCUs and on tribal nations, identify opportunities to develop a collective strategy that includes a common agenda, shared measurable goals, a commitment to regular communications among partners, and commitments to activities that advance the overall goals of the initiative. The project aims to establish a core set of components to drive the Tribal Advanced Manufacturing Network that will ensure mutual benefits, determine opportunities for advancement, and identify the most appropriate partnerships to grow the network.

The format of the meeting will include panel presentations, interactive dialogue, and strategic planning sessions. A report and video will be produced and broadly disseminated by AIHEC to partner institutions, tribal nations, and industry partners.

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.