Conference: tcup annual research symposium

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education awarded Tribal Nations Research Group (TNRG) $1.266 million on August 1, 2026, under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) to conduct a four-year series of Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) Annual Research Symposia.

TNRG will organize symposia that invite faculty and students at TCUP institutions to present original research and design projects. Each symposium includes a full day of oral presentations and at least a half-day of poster presentations, with intentional built-in networking time for geographically isolated participants to interact professionally. TNRG will provide consultation to student researchers on writing, presentation, and communication skills required for scientific careers. The symposia are held in locations proximate to NSF headquarters to enable NSF staff to examine research outcomes and engage directly with faculty and students who represent the STEM workforce.

TNRG is a minority-owned and Native American-owned non-profit organization based in Belcourt, North Dakota. The award period runs through July 31, 2030, with performance at Belcourt, ND 58316. The initiative aligns with TCUP's goal to increase science, technology, engineering, and mathematics instructional and research capacities at participating institutions, expand student opportunities in STEM careers, fund locally relevant research studies, and foster faculty professional growth beyond traditional classroom settings.

Abstract

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. Expanding the research 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 will increase the body of knowledge about the faculty-led research being conducted at TCUP institutions. Tribal nations research group (TNRG) will conducts a four-year series of symposia that invite faculty and students at TCUP institutions to present the results of their original research or design projects. TNRG will also provide consultation to student researchers on writing, presentation, and communication skills needed for scientific careers. The TCUP research symposia, a showcase of work conducted at or by TCUP institutions, are held in locations proximate to NSF to enable NSF staff (both scientific and technical/administrative) to examine closely the results of NSF research support, and to engage directly with the faculty and, most importantly, the students who are the STEM workforce of the future. Each symposium offers a full day of oral presentations and at least a half-day of poster presentations. This design is intentionally constructed to allow networking time among the students and faculty, who are often from isolated areas, to interact and share professionally among themselves on topics that are similar in nature, but vary in subjects and geography. 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.- subawards are not planned for this award.