A fog lifts over the campus of Sitting Bull College (SBC) in Fort Yates, North Dakota, as the sun rises over the Missouri River to the east. To the west, a white wind turbine is revealed at the top of the neighboring hill, the first to come in the community. Between the current campus buildings and the hill, architects are finishing drafts of a new state-of-the-art science center. As wildfires draw attention to air quality and changes in the natural environment, and as COVID-19 provides the general public an awareness of concepts like airborne particulate matter, SBC, already a regional leader in wind energy technology education, has launched an ambitious atmospheric science curriculum and research program. In partnership with NASA, SBC has begun work on its Facility for Innovative Atmospheric Research and Education (FIARE), to be located in the heart of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. FIARE will provide the reservation and broad geographic region with air quality education, regional data, and research opportunities for students seeking both undergraduate and graduate degrees.