1. Connecting Traditional Indigenous Knowledge to NASA Science
Indigenous peoples and climate scientists are working together in collaborative networks to bring together multiple knowledge and science systems. The result of this work is the Rising Voices Community. The 5th annual meeting of Rising Voices was held at UCAR, Boulder CO, April 13-15, Dr. Katie Spellman, University of Alaska Fairbanks and Dr. Russanne Low, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, were both invited presenters on the Research Collaboration Panel Thursday Morning.
Spellman presented an overview of their project, Impacts and Feedbacks of a Warming Arctic: Engaging Learners in STEM Using NASA and GLOBE, and her talk featured examples of phenological investigations conducted by young learners. Spellman described the process of establishing a large project with multiple partners and engaging communities in GLOBE citizen science motivated by traditional knowledge, discussion with NASA scientists, and kids' own observations.
Low presented the GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper as a tool that can be deployed by communities who are interested in reducing risk of mosquito borne disease by monitoring local mosquito populations and removing breeding habitats from use. Discussions emphasized the intergenerational opportunities for sharing knowledge and working together to reduce mosquito borne disease risks in indigenous communities. The app will be released by the end of May.
There were 140 participants at this meeting, the majority representing Indigenous Peoples and tribal nations from the U.S., as well as international Indigenous Peoples from Chad, Mexico, South Africa, Tanzania and Scandinavia. https//risingvoices.ucar.edu/
Russanne Low, NESEC/Institute for Global Environmental Strategies,
Katie Spellman, University of Alaska Fairbanks ,
Rising Voices 5: Pathways from Science to Action, Boulder, CO April 13-15, 2017