1. KNOCKING OPPORTUNITIES
Introduction
Week 1
I believe that every unexpected turn in life is a moment for an individual to reflect on themselves, which in turn provides an open door to change. As for the students from Blanding, Utah who have taken the opportunity to experience the STEM summer mentorship program, they have opened a door for themselves. I specifically have given myself a chance to prosper in a professional and life-long manner by attending this summer mentorship program. My intention going into this program was to expand my knowledge of the resources provided by Utah State University.
Like most of my fellow peers on this trip, I was drawn to the STEM summer mentorship program out of curiosity. I did not know anything about this program, and I wanted to try it out. At first, I was a little hesitant to apply, but I felt a positive pulse of emotion, and so I did. I have found that I was very satisfied with choosing to apply. The opportunity to come to the Logan campus has really encouraged and motivated me to continue pursuing a career to change people’s lives on the Navajo Reservation.
Throughout the week, I explored the different academic programs on campus. It definitely was a learning process, and it allowed me to adapt to a different environment than Blanding.
Before I was able to get a full understanding of specific academic categories, I believed that most degrees offered on Logan campus were very general. After a few days of touring different colleges on campus, I’ve learned that my expectations were wrong. The Logan campus offers many focused degrees in various fields of study. I was surprised at how the school encouraged the involvement of research and environmental restoration.
In the first week of the NASMP, I was really interested in the Water Research lab and in research about sustainable energy sources. During this time, I felt that I would be able to gain knowledge from these labs and to better understand where I would provide positive change in the use of renewable energy sources and natural resource usage by the Navajo Nation.
Week 2 Dr. Ryan Dupont-Water Research Lab
For my first week of labs, I was able to express my opinions about the Water Research lab. My most important expectation was to have a great learning experience. I also expected to learn more about the skills needed to research water and how it would benefit and help me achieve my future educational and life goals. At the beginning of the week, I was very excited and ready to start working in this lab.
I learned how to handle water samples and prepare them for testing. I also learned that water varies in pH levels based on variations of its solvents. Using five different sampling tools, I mixed metal compounds with water samples and tested how much metals were absorbed. My favorite time was driving to Salt Lake City to get water samples from a storm water sample collector. My least favorite part of the trip was getting stuck in a two hour meeting and discussing everyone’s projects and job duties. This experience has helped me to better view myself working in a laboratory in the future because I was able to have hands-on involvement, and I was able to critically work through real-life problems.
My experience altered my expectation for what it means to be a researcher because it consisted of hard work. The professor and students were very busy and hardly had time for themselves. They constantly had to keep an eye out for potential water samples. Being a researcher involves patience, strong teamwork, and communication skills.
Week 3 Dr. Yujie Sun-Chemistry
This week, I was placed in an inorganic chemistry lab where we observed the use of catalysis in electrochemical water splitting. The intent of this research is to explore renewable and clean energy sources. This project encourages increasing biocompatibility, which is the use of neutral pH water to avoid using strong acids and bases to reduce the impact on the environment. I felt that this lab was informative, and it peaked my interest. I also found the lab environment to be fun and comfortable. I was able to learn about the involvement chemistry has with helping the environment.
This experience has altered my expectation for what it means to be a “researcher” by pointing out the hard work that’s needed. Overall, this lab was incredible. My favorite part was watching chemicals being combined. I can see myself working in a similar lab, but I cannot find myself working in an inorganic chemistry lab.
Week 4 Dr. Mark Brunson-Natural Resource
During my final week, I worked with an Innovative Urban Transitions and Aridregion Hydro-sustainability Program (iUTAH) group that takes surveys from people who live in the communities of western Salt Lake City. The survey focused on the importance and impact of the Jordan River in neighbor closest to the water source. These surveys are data, which can be analyzed at a greater scale. I found this lab to be very influential to my pursuit in a career because it impacted my decisions on what type of career I would like to achieve.
I enjoyed gaining knowledge on this group’s importance in understanding what a community wants to do with a natural resource. I felt very involved in a positive change for a group of people. This research has altered my expectations by demonstrating that water rights can be protected.
Conclusion
My overall experience with NASMP was incredible. I enjoyed myself, and feel very fortunate to have gotten a chance to explore Utah State University. This experience gave me confidence to become a leader and team player in changing the lives of the Navajo people and highlighted an educational pathway for myself.
Native American STEM Summer Mentorship
Program
Erla Sagg, Utah State University
Acknowledgments
I would like to take the time to thank the faculty of Utah State University and the NASMP facilitators for their time and patience, while working with the Blanding students.