Building from these local, community-defined research projects, we work at a broader scale to identify practices for braiding Indigenous and Western methods across every step of the research process. At the global scale, our online Knowledge Base serves as a hub for sharing braiding methodologies that can be ethically applied in other regions and homelands, alongside the broader work others are doing in this space.
Hubs, Co-Leads, and Affiliated Universities/Institutions
NSF CBIKS hubs are led by co-leads at universities or NGOs. Membership includes researchers, students, project leaders, and community partners who work within the region. Co-leads facilitate input to their hub’s research agenda and design opportunities for network-building and engagement within their hub. International programs in Australia and the Pacific Islands are supported through supplementary funds from UMass Amherst.
| Regional Research Hubs | Co-leads | Institutional Partners |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast | Bonnie Newsom, Darren Ranco, John Daigle | University of Maine |
| Midwest | Jennifer Gauthier, David Michener | College of Menominee Nation, University of Michigan |
| Mountains and Prairies | Vanessa Simonds, Margaret Eggers | Montana State University, Little Big Horn College |
| Pacific Northwest | Marco Hatch, Clarita Lefthand-Begay | Western Washington University, University of Washington |
| Southwest | Ora Marek-Martinez, Kaitlyn Davis | Northern Arizona University |
| Alaska/Arctic | Margaret Rudolf, Julie Brigham-Grette | University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Massachusetts Amherst |
| *Pacific Islands | Kelley Uyeoka, Haki Tuaupiki | Huliauapaʻa, Mātangireia Waka Trust |
| *Australia | Kellie Pollard, Claire Smith | Charles Darwin University, Flinders University |
Indigenous Research Foundations (IRF) Projects
Regional research hubs carry out place-specific IRF projects in which researchers and community partners co-develop the foundational relationships, agendas, and protocols needed to carry out braided research. These foundations are then used build transdisciplinary place-based studies, and may include culturally specific Indigenous methodologies; community-developed research agendas and priorities; Indigenous-informed fieldwork methods, lab practices, storage, and care procedures; and/or visiting and hosting protocols.
Place-Based Studies
Regional research hubs carry out place-based studies that are foundational to NSF CBIKS' mission to provide foundational scientific understanding of how to braid Indigenous Knowledge effectively and ethically with Western science to address environmental variability, protection and care of cultural places, and food security challenges at local and global levels. Through these studies, NSF CBIKS supports Regional Research Hubs and their community partners in developing and carrying out community-lead, place-specific braiding of Indigenous and Western science fieldwork. These projects are then studied by the Transforming Science Co-Laboratories for application at the generalized scale to support resilience in all communities.
