Chemistry and Indigenous Knowledge can go hand-in-hand in university classrooms, labs, and research projects. An ongoing Indigenous medicinal plant survey at First Nations University of Canada, and its connection to Indigenous Food Traditions, medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, and infectious disease will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on working with Elders and Knowledge Keepers while following best practices to reduce Community Harm and increase appreciation of Indigenous Healing Traditions. Courses and research projects with an emphasis on practical knowledge in chemistry, Indigeneity and EDI will also be considered.
About Dr. Vincent Ziffle
Dr. Vincent Ziffle (he/him) is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv), in Regina, Saskatchewan. His research interests include Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Science, uses and chemistry of Medicinal Plants of the Boreal Shield and Central Plains, organic chemistry of plant secondary metabolites, Indigenous Fine Art technologies, and food chemistry. He works toward the elucidation of medicinal plant compounds with noteworthy medicinal properties, and the treatment of nefarious biofilm wound infections via Traditional methods. Dr. Ziffle has also developed CHEM 101: Chemistry of Food and Cooking, which incorporates food chemistry, plant medicine and Indigenous Food Traditions, and unique food labs where students learn from Traditional Knowledge Keepers about Indigenous Food pathways, sovereignty, and sustainability. He is a promoter of all things STEM and is a proponent of STEAM – capital “A” for arts, design, and Indigenous Culture – via Let’s Talk Science and FNUniv’s Indigenous Outreach team of student mentors and educators.