Collaborating with Indigenous Communities for Water Quality Monitoring
Abstract:
Water is considered extremely sacred in the cultures of many Indigenous peoples. But Indigenous communities across Canada (including within Metro Vancouver) have had boil-water advisories for many recent years due to contaminated water. Canada has committed to ending all boil-water advisories, but even as they have lifted some, others have arisen.
This presentation will look at work done to foster respect, collaboration, and connections in a culturally sensitive way to research a new way to monitor drinking water in remote areas. This partnership, which is intended to help future deployments of the water monitoring detectors, is only possible by ensuring we collaborate and connect with Indigenous communities and ensuring that their needs are met.
Using learnings from work at Japan’s Hyper-Kamiokande to search for neutrinos, TRIUMF researchers are developing a new way to instantaneously monitor water in remote areas. This technology—enabled by TRIUMFs leadership in detector development, research, and creation—could ensure rapid water quality monitoring for their communities. In partnership with First Nations University and Cowessess First Nations, this project showcases how TRIUMFs expertise in detector development for fundamental physics collaborations can lead to incredible applications for societal benefit.
Speakers:
Speakers during the session will include:
Akira Konaka, TRIUMF Lead Researcher
Arzu Sardarli, First Nations University Professor, Physics and Mathematics—Indigenous Knowledge & Science
Ira Aisaican, Cowessess First Nation Councillor
Jana Sasakamoose, Graduate Researcher at University of Regina.
Please see the invited speakers page for more information on the panellists.
