Students begin the week with Problem Based Learning (PBL). They are charged with assisting community developers with a recommendation on the energy needs of a new community. PBL is an innovative way of empowering students to learn how to learn. Instructors facilitate student investigations.

To facilitate development of their recommendations, the program helped highlight the pros and cons of power created from coal, solar, nuclear and wind. Students were introduced to the university library and Internet for researching their topics. They also read articles on the subjects dealing with the various forms of energy production. Throughout the week, students were challenged to consider multiple prospective, including environmental impacts and economics.

In addition to learning on campus, field trips allowed first hand experience with the issues being considered. Summer Scholars traveled to the Rare Metals-UMTRA site in Tuba City, Arizona to discuss the impacts of uranium mining and milling on water and the environment. Another trip was made to Black Mesa, Arizona to visit the Black Mesa Pipeline. Students learned about the mining and shipping of coal.

By the end of the program, students make a presentation to the entire group about what they learned for the week and what energy source they think would be best for the reservation community. Students also made web pages to communicate their recommendations to the public. The student web pages are available at Student Webpages site.

For more information about participating in future Summer Scholars programs contact the EEOP Staff.