This proposal will increase minority participation in higher education (especially MS level) in STEM disciplines that are responsive to the needs of NASA, the State of South Dakota and Pine Ridge Reservation. The proposal furthers the goals of OLC’s NSF TCUP Phase II, a grant written to increase the number of principal investigators at Tribal Colleges and to provide a model for sustainability of the Lakota Center for Science and Technology (LCST), thus strengthening the capacity at underrepresented institutions. NASA funds will be used to leverage current programs at OLC, SDSMT, and DSU, with a focus on Outcome 1 of NASA’s Education Portfolio. It is anticipated that once the funding for this initiative is made available from NASA under this call, it will be sustained using funding from other State and Federal agencies. The proposed model targets students who have completed or will complete a BS in a STEM related field and have benefited from previous mentorship experiences through NASA or NSF sponsored programs – Each step includes performance checks and increased  exposure to research and professional ethics.