Indigenous Science: bridging science with traditional knowledge
Collaborative curriculum with UCSD-Scripps Institute of Oceanography, UCSD Departments of Physics and Chemistry, Kumeyaay-Luiseno Ethno-Botonists, Community Health Organizations, Tribal Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA), Humboldt State, and Hoopa Reservation.
Goals for Science curriculum are:
JUst Schmidtt (La Jolla Reservation) is an InterTribal Youth Alum and went to intern for our NSF "Sharing the Land" Program, before working for his Tribes EPA. Today, Intertribal High School youth learn from Justin as he monitors the health of the tribes soil and non-source water pollution.
Native American Research Center for Health (NaRCH) and the Indian Health Clinic (IHC) has been a long standing partner with the goal to attract more youth into the health sciences and reduce Native health disparities.
San Diego State Professor, Dr. norrie Robbins is a geologists and ethno-botonists, specializing in the plants of Southern California Coast. She has also studied with kumeyaay Elders Jane dumas, and often joins ITY Guest presenter Richard Bugbee during our ethno-botony walks..
- Provide our young scholars with access to the best science universities and outreach available.
- Provide Native American communities access to university collected research expertise.
- Build the recruitment and retention pipelines for American Indian, Hawaiian and Alaskan Native students.
- Increase on-reservation expertise in biological, earth and environmental sciences.
- Develop a better understanding of how to integrate culturally-held, indigenous, scientific science knowledge into the teaching of the sciences for American Indian communities nationwide*.
- Students become well prepared for college science course work and more aware of the sciences as an exciting career option.
- Maintain Tribal Environmental Internships with local Tribal EPA’s. Project-supported real work experience in tribal environmental management offices on home reservations, communities, of participating students.
- Locate and work with Indigenous professionals and mentors working as scientists in the community and the private sector
- Support InterTribal Youth leadership campaign “Native Like Water”, raising awareness of our indigenous historic relation to water, conservation.
- Explore the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto.
*Appreciation of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is the new buzz in science and conferences looking for solutions to global climate change. "Indigenous Science" provides respect to traditional wisdom and honors the timeless indigenous approach to science. We need to have more Native scientists, attract youth to their natural birth rite, a profession since time immemorial. Watch "Tomorrow Ancestor" created by Cliff Kapono, ITY Mentor.
