THE COVID-19 DATABASE
The Covid-19 Database team was apart of Lakota Epics from Fall 2020 - Spring 2021 and was in direct response to the Global Pandemic on the Pine Ridge reservation. The Lakota tribe is significantly at risk of the current pandemic because of widespread poverty, lack of access to healthcare, and the lack of information about the virus on the reservation. Notably, no one was keeping track of the covid-19 cases on these reservations. The team decided to tackle the information void by creating a database and making the data presentable to the people on Pine Ridge. This database would help with the propagation of information regarding their status, which can significantly help to mitigate risk inside the reservation as well as maintain the welfare of the reservation.
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To complete this project, the team used their knowledge of Python and Excel that they learned in ENGR 133, an introduction to engineering class that all EPICS students take, and the help of their project partners: Staff and Students at Oglala Lakota College and UTTC (United Tribes Technical College). Together they were able to create this database and have an impact on the Covid response in the Pine Ridge Reservation.
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