Photo by Camile Baptista
Co-written by Autumn Raasch and Jade Haumann
On March 1-3, 2024, Autumn Raasch and Jade Haumann, two current Sloan graduate scholars from the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment, traveled with CNPE Director Neil Patterson to Tucson, Arizona, for the first-ever inaugural Sloan Indigenous Graduate Symposium. The symposium serves as a space for the growing SIGP community of scholars, alumni, and partners to connect through the theme of “Weaving Together STEM, Community, and Culture.”
Jade Haumann, embracing the palm tree.
Upon arriving in Tucson, in rightful ESF fashion, Jade and Autumn spent the initial hours admiring the incredible plant relatives in the desert environment. Then it was time to mingle with human relatives, so Jade, Autumn, and Neil headed to the University of Arizona. The SIGP attendees were welcomed with a rooftop reception, embraced by a beautiful view of the desert sunset over the surrounding mountains. When they got to campus, there was a canyon-like section between the buildings, thriving with plants and vines hanging down from the 6th floor. Jade and Autumn looked up in awe.
Autumn Raasch in the botanically enriched architectural canyon.
Both connected with fellow Sloan scholars, and many, to their utter thrill, shared similar fields of focus. Autumn found a spot at a table with Sierra from the University of Montana and BeKa from Perdue University, where they shared each other’s research interests with one another. They went on to chat about beading and showed each other their beadwork. Another scholar, Sidney Fellows, also from the University of Montana, approached Autumn about her research as she is doing work in Indigenous agriculture and was eager to chat more about the topic. MK from Kentucky University and Jade soon joined them and connected over shared work with Indigenous fire practices. They were excited to meet each other, two in the agriculture realm and two in fire ecology. After sharing stories, snacks, and many laughs, they made plans to stay in touch as fellow Sloan Scholars (and new friends) so they can share journal articles, podcasts, and other fun resources- including their own work one day!
Sloan Scholars: Autumn Raasch, Sidney Fellows (University of Montana), and Jade Haumann
Sloan scholars: Mary Hostetter (University of Alaska), Jade Haumann, and Autumn Raasch. Fellow ESF Sloan Scholar Erica Wood worked with Mary’s village last summer, studying salmonberries.
The next day the symposium started with a gathering in the morning sun for a blessing ceremony led by Miguel Flores Jr. (Pascua Yaqui and Tohono O’odham), where they were grounded in gratitude and the many relations they carry with our environment as the air filled with a mixture of Sage, Tobacco, Cedar, and Sweetgrass.
They then had a busy day of engaging conversations, shared laughter, and heartfelt tears. Dr. Karletta Chief (Diné) gave her keynote talk on “Weaving STEM, Culture and Community in Academia.” Autumn’s eyes welled with tears as Dr. Chief spoke about her grandmother, who had passed away. It was Autumn’s grandmother’s birthday that day, and she had recently moved into a nursing home. While emotional, it was refreshing to have the interconnectedness of family life and academic life authentically acknowledged and respected in a professional setting. It was a reminder that, as Indigenous scholars, we carry many generations with every step in our academic journey; we are inherently never alone.
Jade Haumann, with 2022 MIT Solve Indigenous Communities Fellows, Brooke Rodriguez, Cree Weshula, Dr. Mary Hermes, and MIT Solve coordinator Aaron Slater. Jade worked in the 2022 cohort with the Rematriation team solution and reconnected at the opening reception.
The next speaker was Aaron Slater (Diné) of MIT Solve, who led a visioning exercise that involved participants drawing pictures of home. Jade, Neil, and Autumn were seated at the table with Dr. Kevin Gibson, Dr. Lorelle Espinosa, and Dr. Ronald Trosper, and they all shared their drawings with one another, laughing at the child-like stick figures in some and in awe of the Picasso-like drawing of others. It was a great exercise to share their homes and what made them special. It was a reminder that we carry pieces of our homes in our hearts no matter where we travel.
Neil started the first-panel session as a moderator of “Leading Research and Projects with Indigenous Communities and Tribal Nations” with a panel of four talented women across Turtle Island. The panel consisted of Dr. Melinda Adams (N’dee San Carlos Apache Tribe), Chantel Harrison (Dinè), Dr. Carrie Joseph (Hopi), and Dr. Monica Tsethlikai (Zuni). Each woman offered their inspiring insight and experience to the crowd, specific to their work and much of their shared challenges (and much-appreciated accomplishments) as an Indigenous woman in STEM.
ESF CNPE’s Neil Patterson, Jade Haumann, Autumn Raasch, and Mariah Gladstone
The CNPE’s very own 2021 alum, Mariah Gladstone (Blackfeet, Cherokee), led the lunch keynote titled “Recipe for Resilience.” Mariah had the entire room embraced in wholesome food memories while being enticed by both the artful food pictures and the intimate knowledge of plant and animal relatives. Of course, Mariah had the audience laughing while reminiscing about the elegant work of collaborating on a 2-day pit-cooking experiment with a group of high school students who collectively decided to brave eating raw camas despite Mariah’s (gassy) warning.
Jade Haumann with Sloan alumni and former mentor, Dr. Seafha Ramos
During the break-out sessions, Jade got to re-connect with a beloved mentor, Dr. Seafha Ramos (Yurok, Karuk, and Chicana), from her time in the 2018 rroulou’sik Research Experience for Undergraduates at Cal Poly Humboldt. Dr. Ramos presented on “Weaving Indigenous and Western Sciences,” where she explained her process in her PhD journey, finding solace in Indigenous research methodologies, and also, to her academic joy, finding lots of poop for her wildlife scat survey in Yurok lands! Dr. Ramos explained the intentionality of being non-invasive in her wildlife studies by using DNA samples of scat to identify species, dietary habits and mapping the range of said species.
All the sessions were rooted in the goal of holistic paths in academia and careers. The abundance of passion, love, and support was apparent in each speaker as they offered guidance in research, career building, community advocacy, and nurturing authentic connections. While the night came to a close, Jade, Neil, Mariah, and Autumn stood together and talked about dogs, skijoring, and how cool Tusha Yakovleva (CNPE Community Engagement Coordinator) is and shared many laughs. They made their rounds and said goodnight to people they had met, taking pictures along the way. They made sure to stop and see Dr. Kevin Gibson, the kind man we sat beside at the table, to tell him how great it was to meet him and be here with other Sloan scholars. They went back to their rooms and felt a little bit sad that their trip was quickly coming to an end.
Group photo of 2024 SIGP Symposium attendees. Photo by Camile Baptista
The weekend was simply not long enough, and we didn’t want our time with the SIGP community to end! We extend our sincerest gratitude to the many organizers and funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for making this weekend possible!
Center for Native Peoples and the Environment 
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