Submitted by Jennifer Sowerwine on
This project supports the Karuk Tribe-UC Berkeley Collaborative (KBC) as well as the UC ANR Native American Community Partnerships (NACP) Work Group through a variety of research, communications and administrative tasks. The Karuk Tribe-UC Berkeley Collaborative (“Collaborative”) builds connections between Karuk Tribal members/descendants and the UC Berkeley community to enhance eco-cultural revitalization in Karuk Aboriginal Territory. The Collaborative was founded in 2007 by UC Berkeley professors Jennifer Sowerwine and Tom Carlson in collaboration with Karuk Tribal leader Ron Reed. Through the Collaborative numerous UC Berkeley graduate, undergraduate and postdoctoral researchers have conducted collaborative research and advocacy work on issues important to the Karuk Tribal community, including watershed and ecosystem restoration, food security/sovereignty, wildlife and fire ecology, cultural revitalization, fisheries and climate change adaptation. The UC ANR Native American Community Partnerships work group aims to strengthen UC relations and engagement with Native American communities across the state and is working to develop web based content and professional development opportunities to support these aims.
- Work with Professor Sowerwine and Karuk-Berkeley Collaborative members to update Tribal research priorities and content for the Collaborative website and produce KBC newsletters highlighting research findings.
- Work with Professor Sowerwine and Collaborative members to organize and facilitate calls, meetings, lectures/presentations and gatherings among Tribal members and the UC Berkeley community.
- Assist with the compilation of relevant information for UC ANR NACP webpage development on Indigenous Science, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, California Tribes and Tribal-serving organizations, and other resources that can strengthen UC knowledge of and engagement with California Tribes.
- Assist with ongoing collaborative wildlife ecology and policy research including a) a literature review on research, monitoring and management strategies for black bear (Ursus americanus), black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) and cougar (Puma concolor) and b) a literature review on zoonotic disease transmission research, monitoring and management in elk, deer and ticks, and/or policy review for the Northwest Forest Plan revisions.
- Student(s) will become familiar with principles of and approaches to community-engaged participatory research and will learn about strategies for supporting long-term research partnerships with Tribal communities
- Interest in learning interdisciplinary research methods combining Indigenous and western scientific approaches
- Interest in learning organizational and facilitation skills for convening groups of academics, student researchers and community partners
- Ability to conduct literature reviews on specified topics using journal search platforms
- Ability to synthesize and communicate technical information to a variety of audiences
- Attention to detail and precision in research and data entry
- Basic web design skills (e.g. wordpress)
- Proficiency in Word, Excel, Google drive, online search engines and article databases
- Ability to work independently and stay focused on deliverables.
- Excellent time management.