At the 2022 Spring Faculty of Science retreat, we heard from Dr. Jessica Hernandez, author of “Fresh Banana Leaves” and a Binnizá & Maya Ch’orti’ scholar and interdisciplinary scientist based in the Pacific Northwest. We also learnt from Sarah Howdle, PhD candidate, about the Prison Education Project led by Prof. Savage Bear, Director of the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute. The Prison Education Project increases access to post-secondary education for incarcerated Indigenous peoples, and includes the Walls to Bridges Program, which brings University courses into correctional settings. 

We are also learning from, and partnering with student advocates like Brooke Fearns, an Anishinaabe Yr. V student in Human Behaviour Program and celebrating the success of alumni such as Alexander Young, a Métis, visual storyteller and graduate of the iSci program and Jordan Carrier, a Plains Cree Woman and prominent Hamilton resident and community organizer. Perspectives by Prof. Robert Cockcroft and Prof. Gita Ljubicic highlight the knowledge gained from Indigenous scholars and collaborators in fields ranging from Indigenous astronomy to community engaged research for northern sustainability.