We are a diverse team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples residing on Turtle Island. While some of us on this team are not Indigenous to Turtle Island, we recognize that we hold a responsibility to learn and take ownership of how we might perpetuate coloniality, and understand how we can take collective action against it. We recognize that acknowledging this land is important, but it does not supplant the necessity to work towards a pedagogy of land reclamation for the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island. In the context of this website and where it is being created, this land is the ancestral territory of the Haudenosaunee, Mississaugas of the Credit River, Huron-Wendat and the Seneca.
We acknowledge that this database is fluid and ever-changing, and just as we ask you to use the resources set out on this website to un-learn and re-learn, we pledge to do the same. We are neither knowledge holders, nor facilitators of this knowledge. But, we come to this work from various perspectives (Indigenous and settler perspectives), and hope to do justice in showcasing the resources listed on this database. Our value statement will continue to be updated, and will evolve with us during this process.
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If you have any feedback, want to share your knowledge, or just want to get in touch with us, click on 'contact us' in the menu and fill out the form to reach out!
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How are we staying accountable?
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Read more about us below. We aspire to hold each other accountable, commit to continue learning, and support one another as we are all at our own places in the learning journey. Updates regarding accountability will be noted here!
Our team collectively created our logo. Included in our logo is the Big Dipper, an asterism of the Ursa Major constellation. This was the first asterism that our team bonded over, telling our own versions of traditional sky stories across Mi'kmaw, Irish, Greek and Persian perspectives. Our logo represents the power in storytelling, and how there are many different perspectives and knowledges of astronomical features in the sky. We are inspired to continue learning more, and hope this logo inspires others to lean into their curiosity and sense of wonder to do the same!
JULIE BOLDUC -DUVAL
Julie Bolduc-Duval is the director of the astronomy education program Discover the Universe Through her work, she tries to make astronomy accessible to all youths across Canada by creating educational resources and training teachers. Passionate about education, she truly believes that understanding our place in the Universe has the power to unite people and create a better world for everyone. She’s hoping to do her part towards reconciliation through this project and others she’s involved in. Julie is a settler with French-Canadian ancestry.
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HEIDI WHITE
Originally from Chicago, Dr. White obtained a Ph.D. in Astrophysics in 2021 at the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto, specializing in star formation and galaxy kinematics. Throughout her academic career, Dr. White has been dedicated to leading and developing many initiatives related to science communication and education. She is especially passionate about bringing astronomy learning to underserved and disproportionately impacted populations in Canada and around the globe.
For more information on Dr. White's work:
https://exoplanetes.umontreal.ca/en/team-member/heidi-white/
CHRISTINA NITSIS
Christina is a settler to so called Canada. She completed her Master's of Education at the University of Toronto, specializing in anti-racist and anti-colonial pedagogies. She recently completed her Master's thesis in the department of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto. Her research focused on strategies for the mitigation of plastic container waste in Ontario. Her interest in geography and the physical world, and passion for anti-colonial pedagogies and planning, are what drew her to this work. Christina provides educational and pedagogical expertise to Astrodigenous.
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Board of Directors
HILDING NEILSON
I am an interdisciplinary scientist, working on astrophysics and on the intersection of science, astronomy, and Indigenous knowledge. As a Mi’kmaw person, I strive to embrace and integrate Indigenous knowledges and methodologies to better understand the physics of stars and the Universe and our place in it. More specifically, I probe the physics of stars, from the nuclear-burning core out to the circumstellar medium where stellar winds interact with the interstellar medium to understand connections between stars and planets; stars and cosmology; and stars and us. I exploit theoretical and numerical tools to compare with observational data sets to reveal the hidden physics of stars. I enjoy teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels as well as participating in public outreach and science communication.
CHARLOTTE CLARKE
Charlotte Clarke is a recent graduate of Cape Breton University, entering an MA in History at the University of Toronto this fall. While her recent research focuses on Early Modern history, she has a background in Indigenous outreach and cultural competency education. Charlotte is honoured to be a part of this project and hopes to bring Indigenous-centered education to all aspects of the classroom.
MICHAEL O'SHEA
Michael (he/his) is a fourth year PhD Candidate in Higher education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. A Settler of Irish ancestry raised in Chicago, Michael’s primary research explores Settler-Indigenous treaty relationships and higher education access across the U.S.-Canada border. He also moonlights as an amateur astronomer through #popscope, an urban astronomy movement he co-founded, and as an informal science educator.​
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ALYSA OBERTAS
