Grant seeks to boost computer use among Lakota

By Journal staff | Sunday, July 06, 2008

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A three-year federally funded program aims to get more Lakota people in South Dakota to use computer technology.

"Our goal is to increase participation of the people of the tribes in computing so that they become more self-sufficient in the long run, while providing a larger base for the future information technology work force for the entire United States," Asai Asaithambi, chairman of the University of South Dakota's computer science department, said.

The project will begin on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, home to Sinte Gleska University, in a partnership with University of South Dakota and the U.S. Geological Survey's Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science in Sioux Falls.

A $511,336 grant from the National Science Foundation will fund community-based programs providing opportunities for tribal families to use information technology. The efforts include summer camps where students can be introduced to computing by using storybooks in Lakota, and aerial maps from EROS Data Center that can be used in relating culturally relevant issues about land resources.

"The culture aspect is crucial as it empowers them, it touches their lives in many ways and provides more meaningful connections to technology," Asaithambi said.

The grant will also provide a computing-major readiness program for Sinte Gleska freshmen and sophomores, link USD and SGU computing classes in distance education and Web-based courses, create a development program for SGU faculty members and increase degree opportunities for students in computer science.