Undergraduate Native American Summer Research Program Success

The third year of the CIAN Integrated Optics for Undergraduate Native Americans (IOU-NA) Research Experience for Undergraduates has once again been a huge success.
Seven Native American students from three different tribes traveled to the University of Arizona to spend ten weeks working on unique and exciting research projects. Each of the students performed masterfully and succeeded in their laboratories by ending the summer with a poster presentation and an oral presentation to the university campus.
In the three years of the IOU-NA program CIAN has hosted
23 Native American Undergraduates from…
10 different tribes and…
14 different universities, community colleges, and tribal colleges.
So far, 10 out of 23 students have attended at least one conference and most presented research, with still more to attend!
Finally, 7 have so far successfully graduated with a B.S.
5 of these students have been accepted to graduate school,
1 is in the process of applying to graduate school, and
1 is working in a STEM field.
Candice Henderson, Navajo Nation, Seattle Central College
Novel Patterning of High Sulfur Content Copolymer for Waveguide Applications
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Robert Norwood, College of Optical Sciences
Graduate Student Mentor: Soha Namnabat
Gerald Henry, Navajo Nation, Technical University
Implementation of Motorized Control Alignment Stages using LabVIEW for Increasing Optical Fiber to Chip Coupling
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Robert Norwood, College of Optical Sciences
Graduate Student Mentor: Amanda Chatterton
Chris Yazzie, Navajo Nation, Northern Arizona University
Performance of a Bench Scale Hollow Fiber Membrane Distillation System for Brine Treatment
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Robert Arnold, College of Engineering
Secondary Mentor: Dr. Vicky Karanikola, College of Engineering
Daniel Hayden, Comanche Nation, University of Oklahoma
The Effects of Fire on Ectomycorrhizal Fungi Communities, in Ponderosa Pines of the Santa Catalina Mountains
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Betsy Arnold, School of Plant Sciences
Graduate Student Mentor: Shuzo Oita
Norvina Charleston, Navajo Nation, Navajo Technical University
Changes in Arsenic and Lead Concentration from Different Soil Depth Along an Irrigation Canal Affected by the Gold King Mine Spill
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Paloma Beamer, College of Public Health
Graduate Student Mentor: Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne
Anthony Smith, Caddo Nation, Pima Community College
Faraday Effect in Magnetic Ionic Liquids: Applications in Optical Isolators
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Palash Gangopadhyay, College of Optical Sciences
Graduate Student Mentor: Bharati Neelamraju
Brittany Arviso, Navajo Nation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Modeling Heads Up Display Image and Eyebox Expansion
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Pierre-Alexandre Blanche, College of Optical Sciences
Graduate Student Mentor: Colton Bigler