When
Tristan Picotte receives his diploma during South Dakota Mines 182nd
Commencement on Saturday, Dec. 19, he will become the 50th student
to graduate in the Tiospaye Scholar Program. The program’s mission is to increase
the number of Native American students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM) fields through financial, academic, professional, cultural, and social
support.
“Throughout
the years this program has been an extreme benefit, not only financially but
also socially and even spiritually,” says Picotte. “Part of the challenge of
being a Native student is finding a place to fit in, and the Tiospaye program
provided that.”
Picotte, a
member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, is from Eagle Butte, SD. He will graduate
with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. During his college career
he interned with IBM in Chicago where he worked on storage systems hardware,
sales and customer service. Picotte accepted a job offer from IBM as a Technical Solution Specialist in Dallas, Texas. Picotte
was also an active member of the American Indian Science & Engineering
Society, (AISES) where he served as treasurer, vice president, and president.
“We’re
so proud of Tristan and all our amazing Tiospaye scholars for their contributions
to the world,” says Carter Kerk, Ph.D., a professor of Industrial Engineering
at Mines. “The most rewarding development to witness over the past decade was
seeing students come together as a critical mass, studying together and
supporting each other in the challenging STEM curriculum and in life. These
graduates are now serving as role models for future generations of Native
students. They are becoming STEM leaders in academia, industry, and their own
tribal nations. The program has been a wonderful success and we are working on
new funding to see it continue.”
The
Tiospaye Scholar Program celebrated its first graduate in 2010. Picotte becomes
the 50th graduate at the end of a 10-year grant from the National
Science Foundation that aimed to boost Indigenous representation in STEM
fields. Kerk is now leading an effort to find new funding to keep the program
going.
“Dr.
Kerk has been an incredible advocate for Native students,” adds Picotte. “For
any young people considering a degree in STEM, college can be intimidating, and
it can be hard to believe you can make it. But with a lot of hard work, along
with support from programs like this and professors like Dr. Kerk, you can
succeed.”
“The
50Th Tiospaye Scholar is a wonderful milestone to celebrate.
Congratulations to Tristan and all Tiospaye Scholars,” says Mines President Jim
Rankin. “We also know there is more work
to do. Native people have been underrepresented in STEM fields for far too
long. We hope this program will continue so we can begin to turn the tide.”
The
Tiospaye Scholar Program is one of many efforts at Mines that aims to meet
industry demand for greater diversity in STEM graduates. Many companies in the
global marketplace have found that science and engineering teams that operate
in inclusive environments yield the most robust innovation. For Picotte,
addressing under representation in STEM is of paramount importance but he adds
there are other benefits to this program that should not be overlooked.
“It’s
ultimately helping to empower Native communities,” says Picotte. “Many Tiospaye
Scholars are becoming leaders in their own tribal nations. They are out there
giving back many times over on the investment made in them. They are making a
real difference in supporting and uplifting their own communities."