I have worked in the Altai Republic of the Russian Federation of States since 1991-92, when I was a participant in the National Academy of Sciences/USSR Academy of Sciences Young Investigators exchange program. During the 1990's I participated in a number of expeditions to survey the fisheries and natural areas of the Altai with scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Botanical Gardens, and Gorno-Altai State University. In 1999 I began a student exchange program for Native American and Indigenous Siberian college students. This exchange program has run for over 10 years and has led to a deep and lasting collaboration between several universities, including joint coursework.