Grassroots Science

This is a site for users in remote areas wanting to update their knowledge and skills.

My basic philosophy in community–based research (a.k.a., grass–roots science) has always been—

that technical skills and expertise are to be developed within the communities in order for this knowledge base to be retained after a contract or grant period ends.

I believe that when communities ask their own questions, have their own data, and their own collation, analysis, and interpretation of others’ data they will

• understand the disease and health trends of their communities;
• be able to predict the health trends and prepare for appropriate action for the communities;
• portray the total health and environment program requirements of the tribal communities to other communities, organizations, and Congress;
• allocate scarce resources for their own protection in the most productive manner;
• participate fully in the development of health information systems, useful to other rural communities, especially in areas of the release of hazardous materials and environmental threat;
• enable tribal leadership to effectively communicate environmental and health concerns to their respective communities;
• enable the communities to choose wisely among various outside offers of technical and scientific help; to control the quality of the data, research, analysis, and products from outside contractors, consultants, and agencies; and to oversee and coordinate the efforts of BIA and IHS executed on behalf of tribal communities.

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There doesn’t seem to be any other way to show my profile, so here it is on this page.

My special areas—
* Capacity–building among tribal governments and rural communities in environment, health, information technology, natural resources, and science * Community–based research, economic development, & management * Organizational culture of nuclear weapons laboratories * Complex systems * Cultural resources & museums * Strategic planning, public involvement * Teaching, including community outreach and public interpretation

My previous projects include—

• Head, environment, safety, & health programs, Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council, New Mexico tribes (water quality standards, solid waste, emergency response, hazards of traditional arts, community-based research center)
• Statewide coordinator, public involvement, New Mexico Highway & Transportation
• Regional coordinator, resource conservation & development, Lower Kuskokwim watershed, remote western Alaska
• Health careers advisor, Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corp.
• Statewide specialist for rural solid waste, Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Villages north of Alaska Range
• Faculty, Anthropology & Maori Studies, University of Auckland, Aotearoa / New Zealand. Impact of diet, disease, and social change on indigenous and immigrant populations. Associate Faculty in Environmental Studies Graduate Programme
• Manager, regional non–profit bookstore and Native crafts, Moravian Book Store, western Alaska
• Faculty, applied business & office technology, Kuskokwim Campus, rural Alaska community college
• Museums, cultural resources, New England USA, Southwest USA, Midwest USA, Fiji
• Girl Scout nature director and unit leader
• Post–doctoral fellowship, long–term impacts of diet, disease, and cultural change (isotope biogeochemistry & health), Los Alamos National Laboratory

Credentials by themselves are not the best judge of reliability and validity, but they can be an important tool.

1. Ph.D., human biology and cultural adaptation, (environmental biogeochemistry and human ecology) University of Massachusetts, Amherst
2. Dip., Human Biology, University of Oxford (Wolfson College), equivalent to MS public health
3. B.A. cum laude, anthropology, natural sciences, Spanish, Beloit College (USA)

I’m a long-time member of American Association for the Advancement of Science ( AAAS ) one of three of us in remote Alaska)
Sigma Xi, the scientific research society (evidently the only member in remote Alaska)

previously
professional member of American Indian Science & Engineering Society ( AISES )
founding board member, Australasian Society for Human Biology

[Since Katrina, I signed up to participate in "Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS.gov), the national network of Lessons Learned and Best Practices for emergency response providers and homeland security officials." Because there isn't anything about bird flu on that site yet, and no one else from rural Alaska, I would love to share what we know with them. https://www.llis.dhs.gov/]

other stuff here—
http://13C4.wordpress.com

There was a wonderful series of prints developed by an artist named Archie Barnes on Bethel, about 1986 1983. Mrs. Evelyn Tikiun’s (1927-2007) house across the Slough was one of the prints. Here is the house today.

Here is a portion of the print, 24 years ago, 1983 Dwelling on the Tundra

revised 2007-07-11 Archie Barnes currently operates Phoenix Row, an arts complex in Maine, http://www.phoenixrow.com/ as described here, Phoenix Row — from ashes to art By James D’Ambrosio

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