In summer 2022, the Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center piloted the first year of our Tribal Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. The program is hosted by the Sustainable Development Institute at the College of Menominee Nation (CMN), a member of the MW CASC consortium. Its goal is to build capacity and develop the next generation of Tribal climate change science professionals, as well as provide a research and internship experience for Tribal college students with organizations working on climate change research or related work. 

Two students were selected to participate in the program this year: Makena Arndt, a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and Matthew Schwitzer, a rising junior at Columbia University. 

The students split their time in the program between two different organizations. For the first five weeks, Arndt and Schwitzer interned with the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, located in Keshena, Wisconsin. There, they learned about engaging with community work at the Tribal level, food sovereignty, and traditional planting and agricultural techniques. The next five weeks were spent working with Menīkānaehkem, a Tribal nonprofit focused on community rebuilding. Arndt and Schwitzer engaged with food sovereignty and land management work and attended the Geoscience Alliance Conference in Minneapolis. For the final week of the REU program, the students participated in the Indigenous Planning Summer Institute, a series of educational sessions and activities based around the Menominee Theoretical Model of Sustainability. 

The MW CASC Tribal REU program was small-scale this year, but our student participants received many valuable experiences in a short amount of time, thanks to the leadership of CMN’s Sustainable Development Institute. We are excited to grow this program and increase the amount of students we engage in the coming years.