Dr. Cristina Eisenberg: Place-Based Pedagogy that Takes Us Beyond the Land Acknowledgement

Academic institutions have a mission to serve learners from diverse backgrounds, in order to support their academic success and enable them to thrive in life. Place-based pedagogy has long been used to engage students more deeply. However, Indigenous students often struggle in academic programs to have their needs for accessibility and equity fully met. For Indigenous students from land-grant institutions particularly, which were founded on land stolen from local Indigenous Peoples, place-based learning can inadvertently bring up trans-generational trauma. Dr. Eisenberg will talk about how to take institutions of higher education beyond the land acknowledgment by decolonizing place-based pedagogy for all students. She will cover the basic principles for creating allyships across cultures and an inclusive and safe space for learning for Indigenous students. In her work over the past decade and a half with Indigenous students from many countries globally, she has seen how a decolonized place-based pedagogical approach enables Indigenous students to succeed on multiple levels. She will provide examples from her ongoing work with Indigenous students in the US and Canada.

Dr. Barbara Spiecker: Can We Push the Boundaries of Science Communication?

Science communication plays a pivotal role in bridging the gap between scientific research and the everyday lives of people in our community, encouraging the dissemination of knowledge and promoting scientific literacy. Yet for all we know about communication and science, how to engage communities in the science conversations that matter most to them remains a mystery. Can we push the boundaries of science communication to incorporate diverse voices and challenge our conventional assumptions of what communication looks like? How can we create clear, accessible, and engaging communication that sparks curiosity, inspires interest, and empowers individuals to make informed decisions? As a marine ecologist and a member of the underrepresented deaf community, I have seen firsthand the power of science communication in breaking down barriers and fostering a more inclusive and equitable scientific community. My experience led me to found a non-profit organization, Atomic Hands, whose mission is to work with the community to develop engaging STEM resources in American Sign Language and create inclusive spaces that will facilitate the exchange of ideas between signing and speaking communities.

Using examples from my own experience and that of others, this talk will consider: (1) ways we can push the boundaries of science communication; (2) ways we can amplify diverse voices and reach a broader range of individuals and perspectives; and (3) ways we can enhance collaborative efforts between science communication organizations like Atomic Hands, scientists, educators, and policymakers in cultivating a scientifically informed and diverse society.