Cankdeska Cikana Community College is a public tribal land-grant community college in Fort Totten, North Dakota, on the Spirit Lake Reservation. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The college is named after Paul "Little Hoop" Yankton, a Dakota man who fought and died in World War II; his Dakota name was Cankdeska Cikana..
We are reporting a controlled laboratory investigation of nonlinear single-phase flow through three-dimensional X-shaped rough fractures manufactured by high-resolution 3D printing. Cylindrical samples containing two intersecting fractures were produced with systematically varied surface roughness (JRC = 0, 5, 10, 15) and intersection angles (10 degrees,40 degrees) Steady constant-rate injections of water were applied while differential pressure was recorded to evaluate hydraulic conductivity, Forchheimer coefficients, and Izbash exponents across the experimental Reynolds number range (Re approximate to 0.5-2.5). Measured pressure-flow relationships show a consistent decline in apparent hydraulic conductivity with increasing flow rate and hydraulic gradient; both Forchheimer and Izbash formulations fit the data with high fidelity. Increasing JRC reduces hydraulic conductivity and increases inertial resistance (higher Forchheimer /3 and larger Izbash exponent n). Intersection angle amplifies inertial losses: 40 degrees intersections exhibit systematically larger /3 and lower conductivity than 10 degrees intersections for the same JRC, although the angle effect diminishes as roughness increases. An inverse power-law relationship between /3 and Darcy-scale conductivity K is observed, consistent with recent DNS-informed scaling for intersecting rough fractures. Beyond documenting experimental trends, these results play a key role in advancing both theory and practice for non-Darcy flow in fractured media. Experimentally derived /3 - K and n-geometry relationships provide empirical grounding for inertial laws that have been largely informed by numerical studies, thereby expanding the validated scope of Forchheimer and Izbash parameterizations for realistic 3D fracture geometries. The parameterizations and mechanistic observations reported here are directly relevant for upscaling inertial losses in discrete fracture network models and for practical subsurface applications, including geothermal reservoir management, CO2 geological storage injectivity assessment, hydrocarbon production from fractured reservoirs, and engineered waste storage. These experimentally constrained relationships reduce uncertainty in model inputs and improve the physical basis for predicting flow and injectivity under conditions where inertial effects are non-negligible. We note that the findings are empirical and bounded by the experimental conditions (resin-printed geometry, single fluid, fixed confining pressure, and the tested Re range).
This paper is a "Work-in-Progress". This paper describes the synergetic intersection of two programs designed to bring a particular group of minority students into aspects of a STEM career field. One program, sponsored by a national laboratory is designed to inform and train a these students about advanced manufacturing methods, in this case 3-D printing. The other program is also aimed at that same group of minority students but the purpose of the second program is to aid the students in becoming baccalaureate engineers. The programs exist simultaneously at a small group of tribal colleges or universities, TCU's in the north-central US. The key question to be answered here is how can cooperation between the two programs resulted in a net positive impact to the surrounding community. A brief historical summary of similar programs trying to attract student talent into similar but different career fields will be given, i.e. in-home health services versus nursing or. MD programs, computer technician versus computer program. Some of the prior problems could be attributed to limited available human talent and a lack of program cooperation. A short description of each program will be given highlighting similarities and differences and the resources needed by each. The advantages of working the programs in tandem in particular areas will be discussed and examples given. Potential future opportunities and directions provided to each student by conducting the programs in cooperation will be illustrated. It is believed that combining such programs, experiences that allow students to have some immersive time within different career paths, will provide them with the opportunity to evaluate their own reaction and suitability to each career path, allowing them to envision themselves in those areas. This should provide for a more informed career choice and other benefits. Identifying how this cooperation might impact first year engineering students, leading to better persistence in the curriculum, is a major goal of this work.
Developmental math preparation is integral in a pre-engineering pathway. This paper analyzes the efforts to improve remedial math passing rates at two tribal colleges in North Dakota participating in a pre-engineering collaborative. Previous work in progress addressed portions of these approaches, but here a more complete set of quantitative data is presented along with further analysis using the theoretical framework of Tribal Critical Race Theory.
Individuals who are American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) are less likely to enroll in and complete post-high school educational programs and to enter STEM careers than White students. Completion of math courses is a common barrier to academic persistence for many students, including students who are AI/AN. This qualitative study interviewed 40 students from one rural, tribal college; the students articulated elements that supported them in math and led to academic persistence and those that were barriers to success in math and subsequent graduation. About one-third had attended college intermittently, some for more than 20 years. Most said that flexible class schedules, the ability to complete math coursework in settings other than the math classroom, and using technology allowed them to complete math courses successfully. Students more frequently commented on individual, family, and community elements that influenced their academic progress, especially non-academic barriers such as health and work. The students' words informed development of a more robust description of elements influencing student academic persistence among tribal community college math students to guide future research and program development leading to higher rates of academic success.
Personal reflections on Donald A.B. Lindberg M.D. are offered by four Native American leaders who were instrumental in the successful development of the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) Native Voices Exhibition: Stories of Health and Wellness from American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. A uniquely collaborative effort, the exhibition features nearly 100 videographed interviews conducted by Dr. Lindberg with Native elders, healers, leaders, and people. He is credited with the incorporation of indigenous peoples' healing knowledge in a personal and relational way, making for a wonderful journey together that was a very large chapter in his life and that of the authors.
