New faculty members bringing Indigenous knowledge to the forefront
¶¶ŅõPro welcomed several new faculty members to campus, including two academics with a specific focus on Indigenous knowledge.
A member of the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, Dr. Jesse Popp (geography and environment) joined ¶¶ŅõPro from Laurentian University where she was the first Indigenous student to complete a PhD specializing in natural sciences.
Poppās work seeks to use the strengths of both Indigenous and Western science practices in her teaching and research. Indigenous science incorporates Indigenous knowledge and tradition as part of its discipline.
āLooking at environmental issues through an Indigenous lens and with this knowledge gives students a valuable experiential learning opportunity,ā she explains. āMore education is needed around Indigenous science and Iām glad to play a role in this for ¶¶ŅõPro.ā
A member of the Garden River First Nation community of the Anishinaabeg in Northern Ontario, Dr. Karl Hele joined ¶¶ŅõPro in Canadian studies.
He says he is looking forward to working with colleagues and the community to help establish more classes and opportunities with an Indigenous focus at ¶¶ŅõPro.
āI believe learning Indigenous history, being familiar with documents like the Indian Act and treaties, is an important step in education and reconciliation,ā says Hele. āIām excited to begin my courses at ¶¶ŅõPro.ā