Dr. Joseph Brewer, Oglala Sioux (Pine Ridge, S.D.) and T'salagi (Stillwell, OK);  Arid Lands Resources Sciences. 

My name is Otakuye Conroy. I am Oglala Sioux originally from Rapid City, South Dakota. I received a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, focusing on the area of endocrine disruption caused by wastewater effluent. I also received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame, and a M.A. in Chemistry and M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Arizona. I have also completed a post-doc in the area of Environmental Chemistry and will be a new faculty member at the Universityof Utah in July 2009.

My name is Juanita Francis. I am Náneesht'ézhí Táchíí'níí (Charcoal-Streaked Division of Red-Running-Into-The-Water Clan) and born for Kinyaa'aaníí (The Towering House People). I am from Chinle, Arizona, better known for its natural wonder, Canyon de Chelly. I am from a large family, three brothers and two sisters, of which I am the oldest. I have two beautiful children. After graduating from college I worked on the Navajo Reservation for some years. I returned to school to continue my studies for the type of work I plan on performing after finishing an advanced degree program. My goal is to eventually complete a doctorate program in environmental engineering and with time & funding permitting, pursue studies in environmental law.

I was born in 1978 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up in an environment where my parents provided support, and my three siblings provided many mischievous adventures. Despite the fact that my entire family attended the University of Marquette, I decided to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received my Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology and Environmental Studies. After spending much time in a cold and beautiful environment of the north words, I decided to experience something different and further my education in a hot and beautiful desert environment. I received my Master of Science degree from the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona in the spring of 2004. I am continuing my research in the department in pursuit of my Ph.D. I work under the guidance of Dr. Travis Huxman, and my doctoral research interests address how plant physiological traits influence processes at the e! cosystem level. My doctoral work is being completed in the context of vegetation change by an invasion of a non-native grass species (Lehmann lovegrass), and a precipitation manipulation experiment located at the Santa Rita Experimental Range in southeastern Arizona. My doctoral research project will allow me to understand the role of plant species and environmental variability in controlling productivity of this desert ecosystem.

Outside of my time doing research in the desert, I enjoy outdoor activities that include camping and hiking and I am currently training for the Tucson Marathon. I also make time for drawing and painting, and especially time for visiting my family and spending time with my good friends in Arizona.

My name is Pete, Navajo, from Red Mesa, Arizona. I received a PhD in The Environmental Engineering program. I also received a B.Sc. from NAU and M.S. from U of A. My research involved assessing various hormone activity in environmental samples. For example, I studied the levels of estrogenic activity in wastewater and developed an assay to screen for estrogenic and thyroid hormone activity using cancer cells.

My hobbies include running, cycling, hiking, and photography. When I have the time and energy, I also like to climb. Upon graduation, I hope to be a part of an industry that develops and applies advanced technologies to reduce contaminants into the environment.

I am originally from Tucson, Arizona and a member of the Tohono O'Odham Nation from the Wa:k District (San Xavier Mission). I attended Amphitheater High School in Tucson and later attended the University of Arizona and received a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering.

After working at Tucson Embedded Systems and Intel Corporation for 2 1/2 years, I decided to pursue a M.S. degree in Civil Engineering with a focus in Transportation. My decision to change paths came in part because I was not happy working in the high tech world. I started work on my M.S. degree in the Fall of 2003. My field of study has been in Rail Transit Design and this may be a first in my department. I have spent time studying rail transit systems in Portland, OR (Tri-Met Max System) and Philadelphia, PA (SEPTA Trolley Lines). I graduated in Spring 2005.

My name is Julius Yellowhair. I am a Navajo from Black Mesa, Arizona. I received a Ph.D. in Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona, Optical Sciences Center in May 2007. My research iwas in the area of advanced optical metrology systems. I was the lead systems engineer for the testing of a 1.5 meters off-axis parabola and a 1.5 meters collimating flat. I also mentored two graduate students and one undergraduate on this work. We pioneered several test systems such as using liquids as reference flats, and provided innovative solutions to the demanding challenges of this project.

I received my B.S. in Optical Engineering from the University of Arizona in 1997, and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico in 2002.