As part of the Sustainable Development Institute’s Visiting Scholar Dialogue Sessions, Dr. Jill Auburn, Acting director of the Office of the Chief Scientist, USDA, was at the College of Menominee Nation on October 25th. “I’m excited to be here, learning how grounded and culturally-sustaining you are,” Auburn stated.
The topic of Auburn’s dialogue session was “Sharing Insights into the Importance of STEM Education and the Employment Pipeline.” Following her presentation on sustainability initiatives, sustainable agriculture, and other topics concerning CMN and USDA, Dr. Auburn engaged in dialogue with staff and students. She noted that science is more than just research and includes other facets such as education and outreach. “Different parts of the system hold each other up and support one-another more than any individual system could,” said Dr. Auburn, “Having a balance of modern science but respecting traditional and indigenous knowledge is very important to understanding sustainable development.”
Dr. Auburn noted that of the USDA’s five top priorities, climate, bio-energy, food security, nutrition, and food safety, sustainability is linked into all of them. “Different sustainability efforts and support are buried in a lot of different pockets of the alphabet soup,” she said, “We are working on using the land whether its crops, forestry, or livestock to not only be useful, but to be sustainable.”
The second half of Auburn’s visit focused on STEM projects and dialogue. Students shared how they were applying STEM knowledge to internships and research. Auburn fielded questions from students concerning funding for community gardens, food redistribution to combat diabetes and obesity, and where to find resources for teachers. Endless information about different opportunities and resources were abundant by the end of Dr. Auburn’s visit. “You really need to be thinking about what’s going on around the world”, she said, “There is a lot of knowledge to be shared.”
