EXPANDING THE INDIGENOUS GEOSCIENCE COMMUNITY

The Indigenous Geoscience Community (IGC) is an NSF-funded effort to connect Indigenous students and early career researchers with mentors and collaborators at major geoscience conferences. The purpose of the IGC is to address the urgent need for an international community of geoscience scholars and cultural practitioners that increases representation and leadership of Indigenous peoples in the geosciences, provides a space for cross-cultural knowledge exchange, and provides support and mentorship for Indigenous geoscientists in a culturally respectful and ethical manner. This builds on work that other STEM organizations, such as the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) and the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in the Sciences (SACNAS), have begun in order to strengthen the professional networks of Indigenous STEM scholars. The establishment of IGC as an organization and the Indigenous research framework that informs IGC activities will be grounded in the principles of the Indigenous Traditional Knowledge Framework which centralizes core cultural values and protocols of Indigenous communities, promotes the ethical use of Traditional Knowledge through meaningful engagement with Indigenous peoples, and outlines procedures for developing culturally appropriate research and evaluation practices with the approval of participating Indigenous communities. This presentation will share the overarching goals of the IGC and some preliminary outcomes from the first IGC meeting that was held in conjunction with the 2021 AISES National Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.