Jedd Tougas
Indigenous STEM Coordinator
Stevenson Rm. 107
(406) 275-4063
- M.Ed., Curriculum & Instruction – Integrated Indigenous Education, Salish Kootenai College, 2025
- B.S., Secondary Education – Broadfield Science, Salish Kootenai College, 2019
- B.S., Psychology, University of Phoenix, 2010
Jedd Tougas is the Indigenous STEM Coordinator at Salish Kootenai College. His work aims to strengthen connections between K-12 schools, students, community stakeholders, STEM industries, and STEM career opportunities. He focuses on building connections that give students opportunities to engage and participate in STEM. He is particularly interested in bringing Indigenous students and underrepresented groups into STEM fields. Jedd also hopes to build on his prior work incorporating culturally sustaining practices in STEM curricula relevant to the Flathead Indian Reservation, where he was born and raised.
Jedd grew up in Ronan and, after working in information technology and continuing his education at SKC, returned to the Ronan School District to teach secondary science at the high school level. In that role, he developed place-based learning experiences and curriculum materials that integrated the local environment and Indigenous perspectives. He previously served as the lead intern on the SKC Noyce grant, where he coordinated K-12 STEM outreach and later became a Noyce fellow. Jedd also spent several years participating in the NASA Kiksapa summer program at Haskell Indian Nations University, where they applied GIS and remote sensing to develop research that directly impacted Native communities. He first joined as a participant and later returned as a co-mentor for student researchers and as a program assistant. His background in IT and applying STEM technologies also shapes his interest in using emerging technologies to increase student engagement and learning opportunities.
Most recently, Jedd undertook graduate research at SKC that focused on integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge, place-based education, and culturally sustaining practices into secondary science education on the Flathead Reservation. This work was grounded in his beliefs that learning is more meaningful when directly connected to lived experiences, culture, communities, and land. In his role at SKC, he hopes to continue his prior work and further develop interest and connections in STEM, providing a wider range of opportunities for students exploring emerging careers and fields.