When mechanical-engineering student Daphne Wang arrived at the Muscogee Creek Nation Department of Health in Tulsa for a summer internship, she expected a week of coding. Instead, she spent months immersed in tribal history, learning how cultural context shapes every line of software she might write. Alongside fellow intern Lucy Sun a specialist in artificial intelligence and decision-making, Wang helped launch the Muscogee Nation’s first Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey, a data-collection tool designed specifically for Muscogee women.
The project demanded more than technical skill. The interns conducted literature reviews, parsed existing datasets, and drafted culturally appropriate survey questions while wrestling with data sovereignty—the principle that the tribe, not outside entities, controls its own information. Their supervisor, epidemiologist Breanna McNaughton-Long praised the duo for accelerating work that would have taken months, emphasizing that the interns brought a sense of purpose that resonated throughout the department.
Integrating engineering rigor with a humanist lens
The summer experience was part of Code.Tulsa a program run by MIT’s PKG Center for Social Impact. Ten MIT undergraduates lived on the University of Tulsa campus and were placed with the Muscogee and Cherokee nations as well as two local nonprofits, Black Tech Street and Urban Coders Guild. The program is funded by the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation and the George Kaiser Family Foundation and pairs technical projects with a series of workshops led by assistant dean Vippy Yee. These sessions explore the historical and cultural backdrop of technology development in the Tulsa region, ensuring that students view engineering challenges through a social-justice prism.
PKG Center director Alison Badgett describes the goal as marrying an engineer’s problem-solving mindset with a “humanist lens” on social issues. Interns report that hearing directly from community leaders reshaped their understanding of impact. Electrical-engineering major Chenise Harper confessed she had “hated history,” yet now sees it as essential for driving change. Empathy, responsibility and inclusion emerged as the new metrics by which they measured success, rather than pure algorithmic performance.
Student-driven STEM pipeline for Native youth
One of the most visible legacies of Code.Tulsa is the Tulsa Advanced Sciences Camp (TASC), conceived by sophomore Jack Carson an EECS student and Cherokee Nation citizen. Recognizing that rural Native students often lack access to high-quality STEM instruction, Carson designed a weeklong camp at the University of Tulsa. A nomination system attracted 160 applications from 25 federally recognized tribes; the program ultimately selected 25 high-potential students from ten tribes.
Curriculum development was a collaborative effort. Harvard student Allie Zong helped shape intensive tracks in AI engineering, DNA technology, physics, and chemistry-energy, while MIT spin-out physicist Alexandra LeViness contributed to the chemistry and energy module. The camp also featured philosophical workshops that urged participants to think deliberately about their long-term goals. One camper, Alyssa Theofanidis a Cherokee-nation senior from Houston, said the experience prompted her to self-study calculus and later return as a teaching assistant.
Guest speakers, including Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. underscored the notion that technology can be a force for good or harm. Hoskin urged the next generation to steer the arc of innovation toward community benefit. Several campers reported newfound ambitions to apply to MIT, illustrating the camp’s role as both inspiration and pipeline.
Broader implications and future outlook
Beyond individual anecdotes, Code.Tulsa offers a template for how elite institutions can embed social impact directly into technical training. Interns like junior Elvis Chipiro view responsible engineering as a daily choice rather than a separate career track. The program also highlights the importance of addressing governance before building models—a lesson that resonates across industries that handle sensitive data.
However, the initiative’s sustainability hinges on continued foundation support and potential integration into MIT’s core curriculum. No public metrics have been released regarding the long-term outcomes of the Muscogee PRAMS survey or the retention of TASC participants in STEM fields. Stakeholders will be watching whether future funding cycles expand the model or whether the effort remains a modest, grant-dependent experiment.
