NEWS & UPDATES

NEWS (2025)

I've been personally invited to join Dr. Melinda Adams at Honorable Chairman Ron Goode's traditional fire workshop this month. I am really looking forward to community building and knowledge sharing with other Indigenous folks in this way!

I have started training and onboarding multiple undergraduate researchers to assist with my research - Emmett Collins-Sussman, Leo Navarro, Brandon Yoon, and Alex Wong (superstars!). They will begin by with sorting and identifying all insect samples from last summer's fieldwork, which will be a major help contributing to my first chapter research and analyses.
As a recipient of a Field Inclusive Research Grant, I participated in the "Fieldwork Frontiers" panel alongside other recipients during Field Inclusive Week 2025. You can read my support reflection here and watch this panel here.

As part of the Indigenous Voices Project, I was invited to present in the Indigenous Science and Insect Science Symposium at the Entomological Society of America (EntSoc) Annual Meeting. My talk was titled "Insect Science the ANTie Way: Applying Indigenous Perspectives and Upholding Sovereignty," and gave me a platform to not only discuss my research, but discuss how to conduct research in a relational and reciprocal way as well as respecting and upholding data sovereignty in entomological research. It was a packed room and I'm so glad to know that it was well-received!
I was invited to give a virtual guest lecture as part of the University of Vermont's Wildland Fire seminar series. My lecture is titled "O·tsísti·yó" (meaning "good fire" in Oneida), and will focus on the cultural and ecological revitalization of fire in our communities. I will discuss my research, impacts of Cultural Fire, and the barriers and current efforts to revitalize Cultural Fire across the United States.

I attended the Indigenous Voices Convening at HHMI, where leadership from three societies (Entomology, Ecology, and Botany) met with active Indigenous students, including myself, to discuss strategies for advancing Indigenous folks in these fields and associated societies.

I've completed my first summer of fieldwork! I learned so much through my fieldwork and am so grateful for the opportunity to connect with community along the way. The next few months will have me sorting/identifying >10,000 samples! Looking forward to hiring a student researcher to assist with this!

I was invited to speak at the NE-MW Fire Science and Management Workshop held in Albany. I spoke on the Indigenous Firekeeping panel to discuss my diverse experiences with fire and discuss my role in revitalizing TEK-practice systems through my research.
As part of the Indigenous Voices Project, I attended the 2024 Ecological Society of America (ESA) Annual Meeting. I presented my ongoing research to a packed room and was also an invited speaker in the 2024 Inspire Session, focused on the theme of supporting Indigenous ecologists throughout their career.

I attended my first Evolution conference (Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology) in Montreal! I presented my ongoing and prospective research to folks in the field of evolution and met new friends. I also organized a Moreau Lab visit to the Kahnawá:ke Mohawk Reserve to honor whose lands we were visiting.

As an instructor for IndigiData, I helped organize and teach at this year's workshop in Phoenix. This year's theme was Kinship, Stewardship, and Sovereignty in Biodiversity and Biocollections. I presented about Biodiversity Data Sharing Models alongside Dr. Ann Mc Cartney. I also organized and led a workshop review activity, which ended up being a hit! Through this activity, we learned a lot about how Indigenous researchers and community members are in relation to the data they are working with and how they are working with that data.

The Global Leadership in Genomics Symposium was a success! We hosted 50 SING Consortium alumni, 16 SING Consortium faculty, and general registrants making our total attendance about 150! I facilitated the alumni presentations during the SING Alumni Pre-Symposium Workshop and presented on Indigenous Governance over Environmental and Biodiversity Data alongside Dr. Matt Anderson.
I went out of my comfort zone and performed at Sexy Science Confessions, an event organized by Tipi Confessions which showcases storytelling on sex, sexuality, and gender. I "performed" by talking about about sex and gender of various insects... It was so much fun!

As part of the SING Canada team, I have been busy helping prepare for the Global Leadership in Genomics Symposium, which will also include a SING Alumni Workshop. Along with organizing events and helping lead discussions, I will be giving a presentation focused on Indigenous Data and Governance!
I have been awarded one of two Field Inclusive Research Grants for 2024. I am thrilled to be part of the Field Inclusive network, where I am connected with other marginalized folks in the field of ecology! This award will help supplement a livable stipend to an undergraduate field assistant.

I'm back from my adventure on the other side of the world! The Summer Internship for Indigenous Peoples in Genomics (SING) Aotearoa Workshop was a success, and I am forever grateful to my SING family and to have learned from so many new friends and colleagues about te reo Māori and tikanga Māori. I am so inspired by the strength and passion that our Māori relatives put into asserting their sovereignty.

I was invited to present at the Plant and Animal Genome Conference (PAG31) in San Diego! I was invited to present on Indigenous Data Sovereignty in the Exploring Insects as part of the "Who Benefits from Genomics in the CARE, Conservation, and Cataloguing of Global Diversity?" panel at PAG. While I was there, I was also invited to be part of a CSUSM panel on Indigenous Data & Digital Sovereignty.
I have been awarded funding through the Cornell Atkinson Sustainable Biodiversity Fund (SBF)! The SBF supports interdisciplinary research projects focused on preserving biodiversity. This funding will support a portion of my fieldwork and lab work in 2024.

I presented my prospective first-chapter at the annual Cornell Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Symposium! Faculty and fellow graduate students were receptive to the work, and I am enjoying the discussions and connections that have blossomed from this event!

I was invited to contribute to Status of Tribes And Climate Change (STACC) V2: Indigenous-led Conservation Chapter through the Institute of Tribal Environmental Professionals. My contribution focuses on Indigenous pollinator protection efforts.
Alongside many other new students at Cornell, I was honored as a Dean's Scholar Fellow at their annual pinning ceremony. Specifically, I am a CALS Stadtman Fellow. A quote regarding my reflections on this opportunity is featured in this Cornell Grad School article.
I've been invited to present and lead discussions at the SING Aotearoa (New Zealand) 2024 Wānaga! I'm excited to connect with and learn from Māori faculty and workshop participants. I will present on my prospective dissertation work and Indigenous Data Sovereignty.