In this episode, we step inside a one-of-a-kind research lab at the University of Arizona’s Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, where cutting-edge process engineering meets deep respect for Indigenous knowledge systems. The Níhí Lab is lead by Dr. Cherie De Vore, PhD, who is the first Native American professor in the history of the University of Arizona’s School of Engineering. Cherie is passionate about mentoring the next generation of community leaders, offering a holistic approach that integrates multiple knowledge systems and praxis.
Níhí Lab Research Group Photo
The Diné word “Níhí” translates to a plural, collective “ours.” It reflects the spirit and foundation of their research community: to operate as an inclusive collective that brings together students, researchers, non-academic partners, and community members in shared purpose and responsibility.
Group photo of students of the Nihi Lab with their Mentor Dr. Cherie De Vore taken at the 2025 American Indian Science & Engineering Society National Conference.
Group photo of students of the Nihi Lab with their Mentor Dr. De Vore. From left to right, Nieves, Jariah, Gwen, and Dr. Cherie De Vore
Leading the conversation is Dr. De Vore, an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering Member of the Graduate Faculty at the University of Arizona. Beyond her technical expertise, she is a dedicated mentor recognized for cultivating inclusive environments, fostering scientific identity, and actively guiding the next generation of innovators.
Photo of Dr. Cherie De Vore
Dr. Cherie De Vore (Diné)
Dr. Cherie De Vore (Diné) comes from the beautiful high desert community of Crownpoint, NM in eastern Diné (Navajo) Nation. Her clans are Tł’ááshchi’í (Red Bottom People), Dziłt’áá’ Kinyaa’áání (Atop the Mountain Towering House,) Ashįįhí (Salt People) and Táneeszahníí (Tangle People). She received her Ph.D. in civil & environmental engineering at the University of New Mexico under the mentorship of Professor José Cerrato. She was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Earth Science Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research at Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory from 2020 to 2023. Dr. De Vore now leads the Níhí Biogeochemistry Environmental Engineering laboratory group as a new Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering at UArizona. Her current work investigates biogeochemical mechanisms that affect the mobilization of inorganic contaminants and microbial community changes for the purpose of engineering bioremediation efforts in rural and underserved communities. Cherie is also an associate faculty member of the Indigenous Resilience Center and a co-PI on the Native FEWS Alliance to address food, energy and water solutions in Indigenous communities. Cherie serves as the Vice President of the UA Native Faculty Group and is the co-advisor for the UA AISES Chapter. Outside of research, Cherie enjoys spending time with her family, coffee (campfire to craft), growing food, archery & marksmanship, hunting, martial arts, playing/collecting soul records, and participating in Diné ceremonies.
Dr. Cherie De Vore – 2025 American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES) Most Promising Scientist. Video by @AISESHQ YouTube channel.
I’m also joined by two outstanding research students who are actively involved in projects at the Nihi Lab. These students aren’t just learning science—they’re doing science. They represent the next generation of STEM leaders. In this interview, they’ll share what drew them to research, what it’s like working in a university lab setting, the challenges they’ve faced, and the moments that have inspired them to keep pushing forward.
Nieves Vázquez (Huachichil Chichimecatl)
Nieves Vázquez was born and raised in Houston, Texas and comes from Huachichil Chichimecatl and Mexican people of the Sierra Madre Oriental, México, specifically the Río Ramos of the Río San Juan basin.
They are a recent University of Arizona graduate in the M.S. Water, Society, & Policy program at the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. At the Nihi Lab with her faculty advisor Dr. Cherie De Vore, she worked on the thesis “Relationally in Analysis: Science Communication in Soil and Water Quality Research for Resilient Communities,” arguing that ancestral knowledge utilizes the tool of “relationally” to conduct relevant and impactful science by centering the abundance existing in communities facing environmental challenges. Her familial experience in traditional farming, land cultivation, and river knowledge has shaped her experience as a scientist and a home amongst her peers with similar paths in the Nihi Lab and beyond.
Nieves’ previous work as an intern with the National Park Service throughout the Intermountain Region focused on facilitating difficult dialogues with federal land-based agencies on the inclusion and sovereignty of Indigenous people and under-represented groups in the outdoors and environmental field.
Beyond this work, Nieves loves collecting vinyl records, making art prints or stickers, and identifying birds.
Photo of Nieves in front of the Old Main building on the UofA campus in Tucson, AZ.
Students and Dr. De Vore posing in front of research poster board.
Photo of Nieves Vázquez
Jariah Callado (Jicarilla Apache)
Jariah Callado comes from the mountain community of Dulce, New Mexico, and is an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation. Jariah graduated from Dulce High School at sixteen years old and continued her education at Estrella Mountain Community College in Avondale, Arizona, where she earned her Associates of Science. She then went on to attended the University of Arizona where she completed her Bachelor’s in Law with a Certificate in Tribal Courts and Justice Administration. During her undergraduate studies, Jariah joined the Níhí Biogeochemistry and Environmental Engineering Laboratory under the mentorship of Dr. Cherie De Vore. Her research explores Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDS) Principles and their application in environmental science and engineering, with the goal of restoring power and decision making to Indigenous communities through equitable, community driven data practices. Jariah has been an active member of the Níhí Lab for a year and a half and is passionate about integrating Indigenous knowledge systems into research frameworks that serve her people. Outside of academics, she enjoys going to powwows and dancing jingle, beading, sewing, baking, working out, and traveling.
Photo of Jariah Callado
Photo of Jariah Callado (Jicarilla Apache), member of Níhí Lab, presented her research at the 2025 AISES National Conference. Research poster titled, “Strengthening Indigenous Data Governance in Environmental Science and Engineering.
What sets this lab apart isn’t only its technology—it’s its guiding philosophy. During the interview the team explains how they deliberately weave Indigenous knowledge systems into their research practices, centering respect, reciprocity, and meaningful relationships. They describe how this perspective influences every stage of their work, from shaping research questions and forming community partnerships to redefining how success is understood and evaluated. Tune in as this episode flips the script. Host Tina passes the mic to STEM mentor Dr. De Vore, who leads an in-depth interview with two of her Nihi Lab students. Their voices bring this work to life—sharing personal insights, lived experiences, and the values that shape their research in ways only they can.
From left to right is a photo of Dr. Cherie De Vore, Jariah Callado, and Nieves Vázquez standing in Studio 1A at KXCI Community Radio in Tucson, AZ.