Humanism and Creativity
in Engineering
by Barbara Sorensen

Most people know the United States lags behind other nations in producing engineers, and that American Indians as well as people of color in general are underrepresented in this field. Sociologists, educators and policy analysts have been furiously brainstorming ways in which American Indians and other minority groups might be encouraged to study engineering.
One of the approaches now being explored involves changing some of the negative ways in which nonengineers regard engineering. This entails interposing facts that point to the elegance of engineering, its creativity and, most importantly, the fact that engineering is probably one of the most humanistic of all fields. Of course, engineers themselves have known this all along. They were waiting for the rest of us to catch up.
Winds of Change spoke with four individuals who, under the umbrella of engineering, encompass quite a breadth of focus. They are civil, environmental and electrical engineers. Their fields branch off into subcategories, such as radio frequency engineering, and their work directly benefits their communities. Winds of Change asked these Native American engineers to discuss ways in which their individual focuses serve their communities. They were also asked to comment on the importance of including diverse cultural perspectives and experiences of tribal members in engineering so that all of us might benefit from the production of creative solutions.

Karletta Chief

Karletta Chief Karletta Chief, Navajo, is originally from Black Mesa, Arizona, and graduated from Page High School in 1994. She received a bachelor's of science and master's degrees in civil and environmental engineering from Stanford University in 1998 and 2000. As a National Science Foundation doctoral fellow, Chief received her Ph.D. in hydrology and water resources in the School of Engineering at the University of Arizona in 2007.

"Engineering serves Native communities in several ways. As communities develop and tribes pursue economic ventures, engineering is necessary to implement the designs of homes, communities and infrastructure. As tribes continue to grow, they will seek engineers and it is ideal for them to seek engineering services from Native engineers who have a cultural understanding of the tribes' needs. This also provides job opportunities.
"Many traditional concepts parallel theories in physics and science. For instance, balance is emphasized in the Navajo culture and this is a parallel with conservation of energy and is useful in understanding a variety of engineering theories. Another example is the sunwise motion or clockwise direction emphasized in Navajo culture. This is also a direct parallel with the righthand rule in physics and metrologic applications of fluid movements in the northern and southern hemispheres. Native people have traditionally been keen to direction, numbers, science, nature, and the ability to retain large amounts of information. In order to draw more Native people into engineering it is important to emphasize the parallelism of traditional concepts and engineering concepts and highlight role models at all levels and all fields."

Stan Atcitty

Stan Atcitty Stan Atcitty, Diné, was born and raised in Shiprock, New Mexico. Atcitty went to Shiprock High School in Shiprock, New Mexico. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from New Mexico State University and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Atcitty currently works at Sandia National Laboratories, where he has been for more than 14 years. Atcitty is married, has four children, and lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"I have been involved in the Power Electronics Program at Sandia National Laboratories since 1997. This program is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Storage Program. Under the Power Electronics Program, we oversee on- and off-grid energy storage systems including remote power systems. Remote power systems supply electricity to remote villages or individual homes without electricity. They typically consist of photovoltaic panels, generator, batteries, and power converter. There are several such systems on my reservation to date. Families who have these systems have the luxury of seeing highly engineered systems in their backyards.
"I have interactions with a number of university professors at various universities. There are a number of financial opportunities for Natives to go into engineering at various universities and industries. Engineering could provide a good foundation for enhancing the quality of life for Native people on the reservations, such as through remote energy, water filtration, and energy efficient homes.
"Native people, in general, are drawn to nature. In the past, nature has helped our people with food, shelter and natural medicines. Nature continues to help our people along with the rest of the world. For example, engineers and scientists have figured out ways to harness the solar light to produce heat or electricity by way of solar concentrators or photovoltaic systems. I feel like this is a natural progression for Natives interested in science and engineering.
"Native Americans are naturally creative. You look around and see beautiful Native art work including rugs, beadwork, painting and sculpture in a number of places. I think this Godgiven gift provides a good foundation for the field of engineering. Coming up with creative analytical solutions is key in the engineering fields."

Julia Gross

Julia Gross Julia Gross, Oglala Lakota, grew up in Pine Ridge and Rapid City, South Dakota. She received her bachelor's in electrical engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in 1995 in Rapid City, South Dakota. Gross is a radio frequency engineer for NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. She works on communication and tracking systems research and development. Gross is also the subsystem manager responsible for the development of the communication systems on the Orion spacecraft. Orion will succeed the Space Shuttle as NASA's primary vehicle for human space exploration back to the moon and later to Mars.

"Whether it is chemical, mechanical, electrical, civil or environmental, engineering is all about building things and that is a very powerful skill to have. Engineering serves Native communities by giving Native people the power to build in their communities in a way that best serves the interest of the people. Also, the logical thought process you learn as an engineer can be used to help solve problems in other areas.
"Native people are still very underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math. Having a diverse workforce is very important. People tend to think the same way if everyone around them is the same. Having people with different backgrounds and different life experiences makes a more complete team and the environment becomes better in terms of creativity and critical thinking. Engineering is not just about math and being logical, it is about being creative as well. Native people bring a very unique perspective about the world to any group. It is very important to take this experience and bring it back into our communities.
"Native people are natural engineers, as well as scientists, and have a unique relationship to nature, the Earth and sky. Native people are brought up with the notion that all things relate to each other naturally. Engineers focus on learning how all things relate to each other naturally using math and universal principles.
"As an engineer, one can work indoors, outdoors or both. One of the best parts about being an engineer for me is the fact that I have spent a lot of time working outdoors in nature. Being an engineer allows you to study in theory and apply the principles that we already know as Native people, that all things are related. That relationship is very evident when working in nature. Understanding engineering is to understand the world around you."

Dr. Peter Littlehat

Dr. Peter Littlehat, Jr. Peter Littlehat, Jr., Navajo, grew up in Red Mesa, Arizona, a small community on the Navajo Reservation. He is part of the Two Waters Flowing Together clan and born for the Edge Water People. His maternal grandfathers are the Bitter Water People and his paternal grandfathers are of the Folded Arms People. Littlehat is the third youngest of eight children. His father worked in the uranium mines in Colorado before becoming a school bus driver for over 20 years and his mother was a home caretaker. Navajo was Littlehat's first language until he first began attending school, because his mother did not speak any English. His parents were very adamant in instilling the importance of education into the family. His parents also instilled the importance of the Navajo traditional philosophies of harmony and goodwill. Littlehat attended Northern Arizona University and obtained his bachelor's degree in environmental engineering before working for IBM in Burlington, Vermont, for three years. Littlehat also received his master's and Ph.D. degrees in environmental engineering from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. He is currently employed with Brown and Caldwell, an engineering firm that focuses on water treatment designs and environmental remediation.

"Engineering involves various disciplines such as electrical, civil, environmental engineering as well as hydrology. Each one is very important in ensuring Indian communities are self-sustaining, especially those in remote regions. Infrastructures such as bridges, roads, water tanks and pipelines, and electrical power lines are constructed only through engineeringbased designs.
"Indian people are much needed in various engineering disciplines on the reservations. The cities and towns that surround Indian reservations are drastically updating and maintaining their infrastructures while many Indian communities still continue to live in third-world conditions. Many families still lack running water and electricity. Non-Indian communities are enjoying the latest state-of-the-art technologies while many Indian communities continue to lack telephones. Despite these disparities, it is very encouraging to see some Indian communities receiving wireless communications. Native people should go into engineering to take on the challenges of providing the basic necessities of a household in the 21st century.
"The engineering discipline is very challenging academically and as a career. Some attributes of a successful engineer or student are discipline and integrity. For countless generations, these attributes have been instilled in Indian people. The primary difference is how Indian people learn. Unfortunately, many Indian students are discouraged by the employed teaching methods of engineering classes because these methods are very different from how Indian people are taught to learn. It is common among Indian students that failing grades are mistaken as not being smart. The truth is that Indians are very smart; we just learn and comprehend in a different way. This also should not be taken as a drawback. In fact, our unique way of perceiving ideas in the engineering discipline is highly valued and sought after by companies.
"Most Indian people are naturally talented in math and the hard sciences. A successful engineering academic career is very possible for Indian students by first acknowledging that he/she is just as smart as (if not smarter than) non-Indian students. It does come with identifying and adjusting to the mainstream teaching methods. The engineering discipline is also a good fit for many Indian people because we enjoy solving problems and being challenged. It is also an excellent career where one can directly contribute to bringing basic necessities to those who need them.
"There needs to be an understanding that Native cultures and certain engineering disciplines have common philosophies. All the resources of building basic infrastructure come from Mother Earth. One of the best ways to bring Indian culture into hard science fields is through education. Successful Indian professionals should have some level of responsibility to teach that ‘respecting Mother Earth' is not just a cliché. Many traditional tribes teach that the water and the air are very sacred deities. In the Navajo winter stories, Water and Air are sacred beings who teach principles of harmony and integrity to the Five- Fingered People."

Barbara Sorensen is senior editor of Winds of Change, a freelance writer and poet.