Native American Science & Engineering Program

The Native American Science & Engineering Program (NASEP) is a pre-college experience designed to encourage Native American students to plan for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. In June, NASEP welcomed its first cohort of six Native American students to the UA campus. The participants, from the Sunnyside and Tucson Unified School Districts and San Miguel College Preparatory High School,

NASEP students and Program Director Abra McAndrew at lunch with UA alumna Dr. Julius Yellowhair and CIAN Education Director Dr. Meredith Kupinski

will complete Pre-Calculus, Chemistry and Physics prior to their high school graduation. During the weeklong program, students began preparing for their careers by attending a UA Native American student panel, speaking with local Native American and non-Native American professionals in STEM fields, and by building their own personal desktop computer. CIAN's Education Director and graduate student Cory Christenson lead a SolidWorks design project and the student's projects were made into plastic pieces on a rapid prototype printer. NASEP is part of the Indigenous Alliance organized by the University of Alaska, a consortium of universities promoting achievement in STEM by Native American and Alaska Native students and has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Ak-Chin Indian Community, and the UA Office of Early Academic Outreach. See the PowerPoint presentation NASEP student's made and presented to their families at NASEP's capstone reception .

Download NASEP Experience (.ppt)
Download NASEP August Newsletter
NASEP Web Site