Search for: All records

Indigenous communities have inhabited their lands for tens of thousands of years and developed unique connections with their environments, which are passed down through stories containing a deep and intricate understanding of the world. However, western science often ignores this traditional knowledge, marginalising Indigenous scientists and discouraging Indigenous students from pursuing careers in STEM. Dr Judith Brown Clarke, from Stony Brook University, and Dr Wendy K’ah Skaahluwaa Todd, from the University of Minnesota Duluth, USA, hope to increase the participation and retention of Indigenous students in geoscience, by incorporating traditional knowledge in geoscience education and research. 

Traditional Knowledge (TK) is a qualitative and quantitative living body of knowledge developed locally and regionally across generations over thousands of years. This study aims to show through authentic voice the importance of centering TK systems and cultural needs to provide equitable geoscience education programs. TK can be communicated through a variety of methods, such as story and song, dance, paintings, carvings, structures, and textiles. TK is interdisciplinary within anthropological and ecological subsistence and provide enhanced cultural and spiritual context. Research findings are enhanced by the exploratory and inquiry-based design of TK and provide insight into the anthropogenic impacts on the environment allowing researchers to gain a rich understanding of human behaviors and patterns when collecting and analyzing data. This study examines factors influencing Indigenous students’ participation and retention in the geosciences, specifically gauging opinions on the incorporation of TK systems into geoscience education. Data was collected using an electronic survey to identify factors that inform students’ decision to enter geoscience disciplines and better understand the importance of role models and mentors for retention. Our findings indicate that Indigenous students were interested in using both TK and Western science in geoscience learning spaces, Indigenous role models played an important role in sense of belonging and identity in the geosciences, and the incorporation of culture into learning experiences played an important role in retention. Findings from this study, if operationalized, would allow geoscience departments to increase retention of Indigenous students and faculty, provide equitable educational opportunities, and to better understand how to effect cultural change in the geosciences by providing a welcoming and affirming space for Indigenous scholars. 

It is a familiar phrase, frequently spoken today. Even so, little thought goes into what this simple phrase means. We exist in water throughout our lives, dependent on it from conception, surrounded in water in our mother’s womb, until our last water vapor breath. Water is so common, we are so accustomed to our submergence in it that we fail to notice how vital it is and fail to recognize our dependence on it, taking for granted the water vapor-laden environment we exist in every moment of every day. Taking our fragile dependence on water into consideration, one would think we would have policies and practices to protect water and respect the beinghood of water that humans feel entitled to. However, mainstream society considers water to be a commodity, disregarded and taken for granted; the importance of water does not afford it protections to maintain healthy environments or to ensure healthy food and water resources. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is a combination of qualitative, quantitative, and spiritual knowledge that uses the same rigor as western science and represents knowledge of place, history, and spiritual/cultural philosophies about terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (Smythe et al. 2020). TEK is a collection of historical knowledge of place, providing in-depth knowledge about the intricate ecological relationships between the environment and all things through a spectrum of beliefs, values, and perceptions, developed using local natural phenomena (Smythe and Peele 2021; Smythe et al. 2020) We will consider the relationship three Indigenous women have with water and the cultural responsibility they bear as caretakers of water. We will examine the historical connections and worldviews each author (Todd and Towne as Alaska Native Haida, and Northbird as Fond du Lac Ojibwe) and their tribal community have with this sacred being. Here we discuss the importance of water to the Haida and Ojibwe peoples, demonstrate the importance of cross-cultural knowledge sharing, and present three educational activities to preserve and pass on TEK to the next generation. 

In his inaugural “The Oceanography Classroom” column for Oceanography in 2000, Dean McManus noted: “A particular challenge for higher education is to include more members of underrepresented groups in the study of the ocean. Fifteen years from now, 40% of the traditional undergraduate-​​age population will consist of these underrepresented groups, but today the ocean sciences have the lowest participation by underrepresented groups of any science” (McManus, 2000). Why should we care about this lack of diversity in the ocean sciences? As a recent US National Science Foundation report puts it, “A diverse workforce provides the potential for innovation by leveraging different backgrounds, experiences, and points of view. Innovation and creativity, along with technical skills relying on expertise in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), contribute to a robust STEM enterprise” (NSF, 2023a). To put it more succinctly, “diversity is not distinct from enhancing overall quality—it is integral to achieving it” (Gibbs, 2014). Having a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workforce is not only a valuable objective and moral imperative, it is essential for fulfilling future workforce needs.