MICRO-BIO

• I am a PhD candidate in American Studies at Montana State University-Bozeman. My dissertation research explores the intersection of climate disruption, Indigenous studies, museum studies, environmental studies, anthropology, anthropocene studies and...More

  I am a PhD candidate in American Studies at Montana State University-Bozeman. My dissertation research explores the intersection of climate disruption, Indigenous studies, museum studies, environmental studies, anthropology, anthropocene studies and education - seeking effective ways of engaging museum visitors regarding climate change. I am particularly interested in the synergy of collaborative work between museums and tribal communities in bringing environmental awareness and knowledge to the public. I was inspired on this path by reading Rachel Carson's Silent Spring when I was ten, and by Maria Montessori's principles of Peace Education. I live in Bozeman, Montana with my spouse, Cassidy, my polydactyl feline friend, Elvis, my wayward kitten, Sassafrass, and my muse, Attica, quite certainly a direct descendant of Bastet.

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EXPERIENCE

• Montana State University-Bozeman

  • Adjunct Instructor
  • Department of Native American Studies
  • April 2018 to August 2018

• Montana State University-Bozeman

  • Adjunct Instructor
  • January 2018 to May 2018

EDUCATION

• Montana State University-Bozeman

  • PhD Candidate/American Studies
  • August 2010 to May 2018

  "Green Museums Waking up the World: Indigenous and Mainstream approaches to exploring sustainability" Mainstream and Indigenous museums are ideally situated, geographically and socially, to educate the public about climate change, and inspire and mentor their constituent youth to craft the imaginative solutions required to maintain a habitable planet. Indigenous communities have, through the trial and error of millennia, developed functional and philosophical approaches to living successfully in their particular environments; these adaptive strategies, often dismissed as archaic in the industrial age, clearly have a great deal to offer the contemporary world. A careful study of Indigenous museums will discern how these cultural paradigms may be presented accurately and respectfully, information of great value to mainstream museums seeking fresh ways of engaging their public, while analysis of progressive mainstream museums offers current best practices in communicating with the mainstream public. This research creates an opportunity to ascertain the most affective and effective arguments and strategies for museums to better educate the public about pressing environmental concerns. The primary research question - investigating the best practices of mainstream and indigenous museums regarding climate change and sustainability infrastructure and pedagogy – is framed within theoretical and methodological concepts focusing on both the dissertation research itself, as well as efficacious museum practices.

• Montana State University-Bozeman

  • MA/Native American Studies
  • August 2003 to May 2005

  "Lewis and Clark in the Cities and Suburbs" This research, based on a close reading of the entirety of the Lewis and Clark expedition journals, challenges the notion that the expedition ever set foot in "the wilderness" since they were on Native land for the duration of their journey.

• University of California-Berkeley

  • BA/Anthropology
  • August 1980 to May 1985

  Undergraduate education focussed on Faunal archaeology and vertebrate paleontology, complemented by two archaeological field schools and field work during the summers of 1980-1985.

Interests

• American Studies

• Native American Studies

• Indigenous Studies

• Museum Studies

• Environmental Education

• Climate Change

• Anthropocene

Links

• Academia.edu
• ResearchGate
• LinkedIn