NAIDOC Week Webinar: Embracing Indigenous Knowledges in STEM

• Professor Tom Calma AO FAA (Kungarakan and Iwaidja) 
  Chancellor of the University of Canberra  
  Professor Calma is an Indigenous health champion. Elected to the Academy’s fellowship in May this year, he is the Academy’s first Fellow who identifies as an Aboriginal person. His work has helped improve Indigenous peoples’ health, education and justice for over 45 years, and continues to have an enduring impact on public discourse in Australia and beyond.  

• Susan Beetson (Ngemba/Wayilwan, Wiradjuri)
  PhD Candidate in Information Systems, QUT
  Academic in the Human Centred Computing group at the University of Queensland and a PhD Candidate in Information Systems at QUT. 
  Susan's thesis explores the dyadic phenomenon of nodes in culturally different social media networks. Her research embeds Aboriginal peoples' design of immersive and interactive technologies; specifically, within cultural learning contexts, including languages, environmental and ecological communities. The impact of Susan’s research extends Eurocentric designed virtual, interactive, and immersive spaces and process including AI, XR and emerging technologies.

• Associate Professor Bradley Moggridge (Kamilaroi)
  PhD candidate and Associate Professor in Indigenous Water Science, University of Canberra  
  Associate Professor Moggridge is an environmental hydrogeologist. He was one of the inaugural recipients of the Academy’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scientist Award in 2019. The award facilitated his travel to New Zealand to engage with Māori, leading to the publication of Indigenous research methodologies in water management: learning from Australia and New Zealand for application on Kamilaroi country in Wetlands Ecology and Management. The Academy is grateful to have Bradley’s expertise and insights as part of our activities in support of Reconciliation.  

• Vanessa Sewell (Worimi)
  PhD Candidate in biotechnology, molecular biology and parasitology, University of New England
  Vanessa Sewell was a recipient of the 2022 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scientist Award. The award recognises her research to address the problem of vaccinating against drench-resistant sheep parasites.  

Webinar attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions of the panel.    

NAIDOC Week celebrates and recognises the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on Earth.    

In previous NAIDOC Weeks, the Academy explored a range of topics including, Healing Country: Challenges in Indigenous Health and Medical Research in 2021 and Land, Water, and Fire: The Science of Continuous Culture in 2020.