26 JESSICA PELCHAT BELIEVES our society can achieve a balance between respecting the land through traditional practices while applying Western science to feed the world. Such a holistic approach has been inspired by her enrollment in the University of Guelph’s new Bachelor of Indigenous Environmental Science and Practice (BIESP) program that offers students a science-based approach to Indigenous and non-Indigenous practices. The first in Canada, the BIESP program combines science and Indigenous knowledge for a one-of-a-kind degree. The first student cohort began in the fall of 2021 with five students. Now one of 16 students in the program’s second cohort, Pelchat will enter her second year this fall and says the content and unique learning approach of the BIESP degree have blown her away. In addition to science and environmental courses that develop a foundational knowledge of theoretical and applied aspects of environmental science, technology, management, land-use, and policy development practices, the program’s courses are grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and being. “It’s the experiential learning opportunities, learning firsthand from Indigenous knowledge holders and a general community-based approach to courses and lessons that make this program so impactful,” says Pelchat, who previously studied sustainability at the University of Toronto and has been working Integrating Indigenous knowledge NEW ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE DEGREE INSPIRES STUDENTS Jeanine Moyer THE BIESP CLASS LEARNING HOW TO USE TRADITIONAL SNOWSHOES AS PART OF THE INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND PRACTICE COURSE. PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSICA PELCHAT. in the sustainability sector for 20 years. Enrolling in the new program as a mature student was an opportunity for Pelchat to learn how to blend Western science with traditional Indigenous land management approaches and practices. “I’m most interested in regenerative agriculture and soil health and how we can enhance our knowledge to be more holistic in our everyday approach,” she says. WE ARE ALL CONNECTED Dr. Susan Chiblow, assistant professor and member of the Garden River First Nations community near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, is one of four faculty members in the BIESP department. She teaches some of the Indigenous-based courses, including Industry News
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