This $1,451,207 federal Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (CFDA 47.076 - STEM Education) to the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska aims to co-create a STEM-based informal learning framework that integrates Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with agroecology practices. The framework will be developed and tested through an iterative process with 120 indigenous youth aged 10-18 and 15 community elders across Navajo and urban Intertribal communities in Arizona and Nebraska. The project will investigate how the framework supports youth and communities in reconnecting with traditional foods and growing practices, and promotes their knowledge of sustainability and food sovereignty. Key activities include developing food plots with traditional foods and modern data-driven growing practices, designing youth-led agroecology research projects, and sharing practices with the broader community. The University of Nebraska is collaborating with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Utah State University as sub-awardees on this integrating research and practice project.