Katie Aspen Gavenus

Katie is pursuing a Master’s of Education focused on Curriculum & Instruction in Science Education. Her specific area of interest is place- and culture-based science education in landscapes and seascapes already affected or likely to be affected by dramatic environmental changes. Many Arctic communities are currently facing these sorts of changes, and the need will only increase in the future. The unique ecology and culture of many Arctic places also makes the educational efforts especially critical and complex. She believe science education needs to be woven with strong fibers of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and lived knowledge. This knowledge is oftentimes rooted in the local language, and that is definitely the case with Inuktitut, where the relationships between people, place, weather and living things both reflect and are reflected in the language.

Katie is also a 2016-17 Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) student in Inuktitut. 

Research interests: Development of science curricula that can help to bridge the gaps between western science and traditional knowledge, government policy and community engagement, and ecological change and environmental stewardship.

International Policy Research Arctic Fellow Activities

• “Beyond Ilinniaq: Making Space for Indigenous Knowledge and Traditional Values in Arctic Classrooms,” Arctic and International Relations Series, Issue #5, forthcoming 2017.
• “Fisheries Management and Climate Change” (13:25 min.), Arctic Indigenous Economies Video Series (November 2016).