Explore our Searchable Database of Sponsored Research & Engagement with Native Nations
In FY 2022, researchers at the University of Arizona actively engaged in more than 140 projects in Arizona and around the country that involved tribal communities. These projects ranged from the preservation of archaeological discoveries at the Arizona State Museum to the large-scale All of Us Research Program funded by the National Institutes of Health, among many others.
***The database below provides the list of sponsored projects that were active in FY 2022 through March 2023.
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Since 2010, funding agencies have awarded more than $180 million dollars for research and engagement which directly or indirectly impacts Native Nations, an average of $18-$20 million in research dollars each year.
UArizona Sponsored Projects Active Awards with Native Nations FY2022
Total Obligated Funding $188,278,005
(note: total award amount, not broken down by length of project)
| Project | Project Lead and Partners | Project Description |
| Leupp Well Predesign |
Dr. Crystal Tulley-Cordova and Jason John, Navajo Nation Dept. of Water Resources Milton Bluehouse Jr., Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the President and Vice President |
Pre-design is desperately needed to evaluate and connect Leupp Well 2B to the new well located in Leupp, AZ in the southwestern region of the Navajo Nation planned to supply water for the Dilkon Medical Center, currently under construction. |
| Native American Web Portal Research Database and Inventory of Programs |
Robert A Williams, Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program (IPLP) The UArizona College of Law |
Funding support to complete the design and then launch the UArizona Native American Web Portal Research Data Base and Inventory of Resources and Programs |
| Pascua Yaqui Tribe-UA micro campus |
Robert A Williams, Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program (IPLP) The UArizona College of Law |
As part of the 2019 University of Arizona Strategic Plan Native American Advancement and Tribal Engagement Initiative, the University of Arizona Provost’s Office and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe have agreed to establish the UArizona's first tribal microcampus on the Pascua Yaqui Reservation. |
|
Air to Water Technology Demonstration Site in Navajo Nation Water Bus – Water Treatment in Sipaulovi, Hopi Nation |
Mark Sorensen, STAR School (Painted Desert Demonstration Projects, Inc.) Jing Luo, Appex Apllied Technology, Inc. Trent Teegerstrom, Arizona Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program (FRTEP) |
The Water Bus project aims to serve as a rapid relief response effort which will provide safe drinking water to the Hopi Tribe villagers. The water bus will be deployed in Sipaulovi Village. The Water Bus's filtration system requires no external power sources as it is 100% solar powered. The Air to Water project aims to test a system powered by an integral combination of solar photovoltaics and high-efficiency solar thermal energy to produce water. The team will conduct a performance test of the SOURCE Hydro-Panel system to better understand the feasibility of applying “air to water” technologies in arid and semi-arid regions. The system will deployed in Navajo Nation. |
| Off Grid Water Purification Units in Navajo Nation |
Vasiliki Karanikola, UArizona College of Engineering Partners: Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA), the Indian Health Service (IHS) Sanitation Facilities Construction Program and a Chapter House in the Navajo Nation |
The project aims to address the urgent need for food, energy and water on the Navajo Nation that has been intensified due to COVID- 19. The project leaders will use pressure-driven desalination methods, nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) for treatment of brackish waters such as those on the Navajo Nation while producing high quality water. The system will be powered by solar panels. The team will construct and deploy two off-grid mobile water purification units to test the system. The overall goal of the project is to provide mid and long-term solutions to the food, energy and water challenges in the Navajo Nation. |
| Navajo COVID-19 Water Needs Mapping |
Karletta Chief, UArizona Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science Other partners: NAU, Ronson Engineering, UCAL, MSU, UNM, SRIC |
The project aims to identify COVID-19 high risk areas in Navajo Nation. Through UArizona’s collaborations regarding water, health, and environmental health, project leaders will create a map that combines water quality, water infrastructure, health, and socio- economic data to identify areas on the Navajo Nation that are most at risk for a COVID-19 spike in the fall due to lack of access to water, food and energy. |
| A Student's Journey | Daniel Sestiaga, Tohono O'odham Community College Marti Lindsey, UArizona Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center | A Student’s Journey is an innovative educational program that aims to establish a clear path to help tribal college students transfer to the university. A Student's Journey includes the developing of programs to increase students’ knowledge, skills, self-efficacy, workforce readiness, and career development. |
| Next Generation STEM - Phase 2 | Kevin Fortuin, Sunnyside Unified School District | Continuation of Challenge Grant Next Generation of Native American Hispanic STEM Innovators, led by community partners. |
| Next Generation STEM - Phase 2 | Alix Rogstad, Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions | Continuation of Challenge Grant Next Generation of Native American Hispanic STEM Innovators, led by community partners. |
| Next Generation STEM - Phase 2 |
Carmen Martinez, San Xavier District Education Center Tohono O’odham Nation |
Continuation of Challenge Grant Next Generation of Native American Hispanic STEM Innovators, led by community partners. |
| Community-based tick-borne disease prevention on the Tohono O’odham Nation |
Kathleen Walker, UArizona Department of Entomology Angie Pablo, Tohono O’odham Nation Vet Clinic Julie Frazier, Tohono O’odham Nation Dept. of Environmental Health |
This project is focused on improving and preserving health on the Tohono O’odham Nation, while strengthening community resilience, education and voice in the context of climate change induced spread of vector-borne disease. Through this Haury Program partnership, researchers in the UArizona Entomology Department, TONDHHS and animal welfare agency personnel will work together to fill gaps on community knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding ticks and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF). |