Goals and Mission of INGEOS:

1. Increase the number of American Indians earning both baccalaureate and graduate degrees in the geological sciences.

2. Engage American Indians in challenging scientific research.

3. Prepare American Indians competitively for successful geoscience careers in a wide variety of organizations and communities.

INGEOS officially began on 10 October 2001 with four years of funding from the National Science Foundation (OEDG Award #119849) in cooperation with White Earth Tribal Community College in Mahnomen, Minnesota. The initial ideas and effort to obtain financial support came from Dr. Lloyd Mitchell III, who completed doctoral work at UND in geoscience education in 2004, and is now an assistant professor at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina.

INGEOS welcomes the participation of all students and builds upon Eight Points of Success:

     1. Mental Health - INGEOS promotes activities that increase awareness, improvement, and maintenance of good mental health. We strive to avoid making subtle and occassionally offensive comments in our relationships with individuals from other cultural groups.

     2.  Physical Health - According to most U.S. Indian Health Service care providers, accidents and complications related to obesity such as diabetes and high blood pressure, are two leading factors that can adversely affect Indian students’ abilities to excel academically.  Therefore, INGEOS actively promotes both physical exercise and accident prevention.  Every INGEOS participant is very strongly encouraged to engage in physical activities and promote safety.  These efforts are endorsed and supported by UND administration and the Indian Health Service.

     3. Social Health - Activities that encouraged appropriate social interaction between INGEOS participants and with other groups, teams, and individuals from a variety of backgrounds were coordinated by INGEOS. 

     4. Spiritual Health - Individual reflection geared toward better understanding the human role on Earth was encouraged by INGEOS. Whether western, traditional, or other viewpoints are accepted, most INGEOS students believe that spiritual health is a significant basis for guidance in understanding concepts such as evolution, sacredness of place, or materials use.

     5. Financial Management - INGEOS encourages careful personal and professional financial management. From its conception, INGEOS was not designed to be a source of financial aid. INGEOS, however, provides referrals and training as necessary or requested. Activities that promote appropriate management of personal and grant-related resources will be required by INGEOS to assure: 1.) fair resource distribution,  2.) that all participant’s basic needs are met, and 3.) that grant funds are used wisely.

     6. Research Involvement - All INGEOS scholarship participants are required to engage in scholarly based scientific research. INGEOS, in conjunction with the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, provides opportunities for poster and paper presentations.

     7. Technical Exposure - INGEOS exposes and encourages the use of new geoscience technology. We accomplish this through research scholarships, short presentations by scientists, and by encouraging INGEOS participants to enroll in technology-rich courses such as groundwater modeling and water quality sampling and analysis, among others.

INGEOS
Department of Geology and Geological Engineering
University of North Dakota
P.O. Box 8358
Grand Forks, ND 58202