Haskell Indian Nations University this week will welcome students and faculty from tribal and research universities for its inaugural climate change and childhood health symposium.
The Haskell Climate Change and Children’s Health Symposium is hosted by the Rising Voices, Changing Coasts: The National Indigenous and Earth Sciences Convergence Hub.
With funding from the National Science Foundation, the science hub was instituted at the university to advance Indigenous-led climate advocacy. A team of scientists, professors and community advocates focus closely on coastal areas strongly impacted by climate change.
“We’re always connecting it to what’s happening here in Lawrence,” Project Manager Alex Kimball Williams said. “So we talk about the wetlands, and, you know, extreme heat, extreme cold and flooding are the top three climate issues that we have here in Douglas County.”
The symposium aims to connect TCUs like Haskell with larger public and private research universities, such as University of Kansas, University of Missouri-Kansas City, UCLA and Harvard, according to an announcement on the Rising Voices, Changing Coasts website. They’ll share research and exchange ideas on addressing climate crises.
“Through this convening, we hope to foster a new level of respect between R1 institutions and TCUs and advance a better understanding of how critical interdisciplinary approaches are to successfully addressing global climate change,” according to the announcement.
One afternoon panel, “What Are We Doing Now?” will target household health. Air quality, utility bills are among factors that impact health within families and neighborhoods, Kimball Williams said. Panelists will discuss safety measures, such as how to create emergency kits, and empower folks to take action in their homes toward reversing climate crises.
“I would say that panel in particular, it’s good for everybody to listen to, but specifically for people who maybe they aren’t in public health, or they aren’t in local government, they don’t know some of this stuff, this is going to be a really great, kind of one-stop shop for what you need to know, personally, in terms of the climate crisis,” Kimball Williams said.
People of a range of ages will participate in the day. Kimball Williams said a group of Billy Mills Middle School students are planning to attend morning activities, including outdoor chalk drawings of what a sustainable world looks like to them as well as a scavenger hunt with prizes.
The Haskell Climate Change and Children’s Health Symposium is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 at Haskell, 155 E. Indian Ave. It’s free to attend and open to the public. It will also be filmed so that it’s available to view at a later date.
View a lineup of guest speakers and panelists and a schedule of events on the website, rvcchub.org/announcements/children-climate.
Additional activities
In conjunction with the symposium, the Health and Medicine Career Fair will take place the day before, Wednesday, Nov. 13, at Haskell. Students will be encouraged to connect with one another and discuss ways they can collaborate across campuses. Representatives from medical schools and public health and environmental health programs will be present to share their education and career opportunities.
The career fair is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Stidham Student Union on campus.
Also on Wednesday, Uriah Little Hoop, Oglala, Sicangu Lakota and Diné, will give a presentation called “Spiritual Grounding,” according to a flyer on the Haskell Student Success Center Facebook page.
Little Hoop’s presentation is scheduled to begin at 3:10 p.m. Wednesday in the Haskell auditorium. It’s free to attend, and seating at the top balcony will be available.
For interest in sharing resources at the career fair or for questions about the symposium, email admin@rvcchub.org.
For more information about Rising Voices, Changing Coasts, visit the website, rvcchub.org.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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