Combining STEM learning with tribal ecological knowledge
With a grant from NSF鈥檚 Education and Human Resources Directorate, tribal college students living on the Salish Sea coast in Washington State are researching their local ocean ecosystem, combining the Lummi Nation鈥檚 traditional ecological knowledge with STEM learning and skills.
Since 2014, Northwest Indian College (NWIC) and Western Washington University (草榴社区) have collaborated to bring their students out to the Salish Sea Basin to study local clam species, inter-tidal ecosystems, and the processes of ocean acidification and other changes to these natural resources so vital to local livelihoods and culture.