Recording from the Skylight Speaker Series session on October 26, 2022:
Chemistry and Indigenous Knowledge: Development of Novel Chemistry Courses and Labs Highlighting Indigenous Traditions in Medicine, Food, and Fine Art
Presented by Dr. Vincent Ziffle (First Nations University of Canada)
Part of the Skylight Speaker Series: Teaching & Learning in Science through the Lens of Indigeneity, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, sponsored by UBC Science's Strategic Innovation Fund.
Abstract: Chemistry and Indigenous Knowledge can go hand-in-hand in the undergraduate classroom and lab. CHEM 101: Chemistry of Food and Cooking at First Nations University of Canada has been designed to engage introductory science students with its emphasis on practical knowledge in chemistry, its application to food and cooking, and Indigeneity. Equity, diversity, and inclusivity is fostered by highlighting Indigenous Food Traditions and the contributions of First Nations Elders, chefs, and other Traditional Knowledge Keepers. Its novel food lab uses interdisciplinary and experiential pedagogies to connect land-based learning and laboratory. An ongoing Indigenous Medicinal Plant survey, and its connection to Indigenous Food Traditions and Medicinal Chemistry will also be discussed, in addition to a new Indigenous pictograph paint project relying on Traditional Ecological Knowledge, unconventional undergraduate coursework, and modern spectrometry techniques.
About the Presenter: Dr. Vincent Ziffle (he/him) is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv), in Regina, Saskatchewan. He has been teaching there since 2010. His research interests include Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Science, uses and chemistry of Medicinal Plants of the Boreal Shield and Central Plains, organic chemistry of plant secondary metabolites, Indigenous Fine Art technologies, and food chemistry. He works toward the elucidation of medicinal plant compounds with noteworthy medicinal properties, and the treatment of nefarious biofilm infections via Traditional methods. Dr. Ziffle has also developed CHEM 101: Chemistry of Food and Cooking, which incorporates food chemistry, plant medicine and Indigenous Food Traditions, and unique food labs where students learn from Traditional Knowledge Keepers about Indigenous Food pathways, sovereignty, and sustainability. He is a promoter of all things STEM and is a proponent of STEAM – capital “A” for arts, design, and Indigenous Culture – via Let’s Talk Science and FNUniv’s Indigenous Outreach team of student mentors and educators.
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