NSF CBIKS Regional Research Hubs
NSF CBIKS research takes place at three scales: local, meta-level, and global. At the local scale, we carry out place-based research in partnership with Indigenous communities to address the urgent and interconnected issues of climate change, the protection and care of cultural places, and food security.
From these local, community-defined research projects, we work at the generalizable scale with the aim of identifying practices for braiding Indigenous and Western methods at every step of the research process. On the global scale, our aim is to develop generalizable braiding methodologies that can be ethically applied in other regions and homelands and shared, along with the work others are doing in these areas, through our online Knowledge Base.
Indigenous Research Foundations (IRF) Projects
Regional research hubs carry out place-specific IRF projects in which researchers and community partners develop results of the foundations to braid Indigenous and Western science data and research practices. IRF projects are then utilized to plan and conduct transdisciplinary place-based studies. Research foundations might include culturally specific Indigenous methodologies; community-developed research agendas/priorities; Indigenous-informed fieldwork methods, lab practices, storage, and care procedures; and/or visiting/hosting protocols.
Place-Based Studies
Regional research hubs carry out place-based studies that examine community-identified transdisciplinary research questions focused on climate change mitigation and adaptation, the protection and care of heritage places and ancestors, and food sovereignty and security.
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 | Western Washington University |
| Southwest | Ora Marek-Martinez, Ann Marie Chischilly | Northern Arizona University |
| Alaska/Arctic | James Temte, Julie Brigham-Grette | Alaska Pacific University, UMass Amherst |
| *Pacific Islands | Kelley Uyeoka, Haki Tuaupiki | Huliauapaʻa, Mātangireia Waka Trust |
| *Australia | Kellie Pollard, Claire Smith | Charles Darwin University, Flinders University |