| Cultural outreach important part of DUSEL plans |
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| Written by Wendy Pitlick |
| Tuesday, 22 June 2010 |
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LEAD Educating the Native Americans about the project to build an underground laboratory in the former Homestake Gold Mine is a task members of the DUSEL team take very seriously, and George Campbell has been busy contacting tribe representatives from throughout the state to make that happen.
Campbell, who is the Cultural Liaison and Diversity Coordinator for the proposal to build a deep underground science and engineering laboratory, has been working hard to bring his message about the lab to the Native population, while bringing their input back to the DUSEL team. “We’re trying to let everyone know what our project is about, particular because of the large Native American population in this state, we want to make sure that they understand what we’re doing on their sacred land,” he said. “That’s the biggest reason we are doing this.” Campbell, along with members of the cultural diversity committee comprised of representatives from area universities, businesses and other cultural backgrounds, have traveled to various powwows and other Native American events to get their message out. He has participated in the Lakota, Dakota, Nakota Language Summit, where many teachers gather, and this month he will participate in the National Congress of American Indians Mid-Year Conference in Rapid City. Additionally, Campbell said his cultural committee meets with tribal representatives and Native American education officials on a regular basis. Recently, the committee met in Rosebud, where they talked to a land and natural resources committee about their plans while gathering input from the Native Americans about the lab. The committee has also spent quite a bit of time visiting with Sinte Gleska University President Lionel R. Bordeaux about educational opportunities for Native Americans, and how that university can be included in lab efforts. “I’ve found that there is a great interest from the chair people of the tribe about what we can do for education and how we can help the educational process,” Campbell said. “There are a lot of people who are very supportive of what we’re doing and are particularly interested in going to a place where they can get a technical degree and stay in the state and work somewhere close to the reservation. There are some that would rather we didn’t do this project, and you have to respect that. That’s their belief. They understand what we’re doing, but they would rather we didn’t do it. I don’t hear too much of that, but I know that it is there.” Campbell said all of the input he gathers and all of his outreach efforts will be recorded as part of the education and outreach portion of the final preliminary design report, which is scheduled to be submitted to the National Science Board in December. Cultural outreach, Campbell said, is very important to the National Science Foundation, as well as to those on the DUSEL team. “I personally believe that it is very important and I think that everyone involved with the project does as well, particularly those who are funding the project,” Campbell said. “We need to make sure that we answer their questions or at least explain what we are doing to their satisfaction.” |
