Navajo Technical University (NTU) is one of the premier institutions of higher education in the Navajo Nation, providing a unique balance among science, engineering, technology, tradition, and identity rooted in the Diné Philosophy of Education: Nitsahakees, Nahata, Iina, and Siihasin.

This project, the Vision for Excellence at NTU in Research and Education in STEM (VENTURES), is a partnership between NTU and the National Science Foundation funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Harvard University.

The goals of this partnership are to:

• increase the number of Native Americans earning undergraduate degrees in STEM fields,
• increase the research infrastructure at NTU so that students and faculty can perform research within their own community,
• increase the number of Native Americans entering and completing graduate programs in materials science and related fields, and
• include Native American perspectives and methods of inquiry in materials science research.