Together from the start to the end - Prioritizing community values in the research process

Societal impacts are stronger when a research project makes connections with societal groups affected by the issue at hand. Non-academic partners have a unique understanding of a challenge, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) recognizes that bringing together those diverse perspectives is essential to help accelerate the application of research results for social benefits.

For Dr. Jesse Popp, Principal Investigator of the Wildlife, Indigenous Science, Ecology (WISE) Lab, at the University of Guelph, prioritizing relationships is at the core of her research especially with Indigenous communities. To gain deeper insight into Dr. Popp’s work, NSERC had the pleasure of meeting with her to learn more about her passion for environmental science and her perspective on the benefits of involving partners into all stages of research. 

Dr. Popp, what sparked your interest in environmental science?

As a child, my mom took me out on the land a lot. I remember we used to sit in the forest and munch away on all these different plant species while we were collecting in respectful ways. Those moments made me realize just how important the land was. Although I learned a lot about plants, I was always curious about our animal relations, for example the black bear that would be sitting in the field with us as we all feasted on blueberries together.

With all these gifts that the land has provided, I always knew I wanted to give back in some way. So, I decided to dedicate my life to ensuring the land would always be there for my children, and for all the future generations, as it had been for my family and me. This career path is my way of upholding my responsibility to the land, prioritizing reciprocity and a way of thanking the land and all our relations therein.

You are part of a team leading a research program, funded by an NSERC Alliance Society grant, that aims to weave Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science for more effective and collaborative moose monitoring research. What are your key goals with this work?

Moose are unfortunately declining across many regions of the land, also known as Canada, and we really need to come together to help understand driving factors of moose decline and determine how to help moose collectively. The ‘Moose Alliance’ project is a very large team of scholars, First Nations, non-profit organizations, Nature United and the Ontario Provincial Government. We’re bringing together Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science to help address local concerns, answer important research questions and give more holistic understandings of how environmental issues influence relationships between people and the land.

In line with our approach in the WISE Lab, we’re prioritizing community values in the research process: building capacity, providing training opportunities to monitor moose, and helping understand those drivers of decline. We’re also working towards creating a Moose Knowledge Network which we hope will serve as an ethical space for individuals, governments, and organizations that are interested in moose conservation and caretaking, to come together and share knowledge respectfully, build relationships and solve problems of mutual interest.

How are you hoping to be able to expand your teachings and outreach to other First Nations that are in moose containing regions?

I’ve been working on moose for most of my career and I’ve received lots of requests from First Nations to learn about moose monitoring and caretaking from an academic standpoint. There’s a lot of interest there, but not much capacity.

We’re going to be developing a variety of toolboxes and the hope is that while we’re building these case studies, that we can start building a baseline for others to learn from one another. Because all communities are different and have their unique needs, helping to connect them through this knowledge network is a priority for us to expand our reach.

Community-led and co-designed projects appear to be the core of your research program. How do the relationships with the breadth of partners that your team has brought together contribute to bridging systems of knowledge and cultures?

Ecological research that supports ethical and equitable relationships with Indigenous Peoples and lands are our main priority. Reciprocity, relevance, responsibility, relationship and respect, also known as the five Rs in Indigenous research, are values that are very fundamental to our work. We strive to uplift these values during all stages of the research, from co-developing the project’s objectives, to disseminating research results in mutually relevant ways. We do this together, from the start to the end.

Relationships are at the core of the values in our approach. For example, students in the lab typically start their research degree with an entire semester building relationships with the First Nations communities we partner with to learn. Typically, a graduate student otherwise would be working on data collection, so we’ve had to modify our graduate projects a little bit because it’s not really built into academic programming. Interestingly, our research process has also become part of the product. How we do things is becoming a chapter in a thesis, so students get credit for the time that they’ve spent in the community.

Uptake from the research community in general for understanding the need to spend time on relationship building is only just beginning, but we find ways to make it happen and the benefits are just incredible.

NSERC has had the privilege of supporting you through different programs, from the former Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship to a Canada Research Chair and a recent Discovery Horizon grant. What has been the impact of NSERC’s support on your research program and career?

I’m incredibly grateful to NSERC throughout the years for supporting me and my research. I think without this support I probably never would’ve made it to where I am today. I sometimes reflect on the early funding from NSERC, as an early-career researcher without that stellar track record, and I feel fortunate that a chance was taken on me, as a person that was stepping outside the typical academic box in the natural sciences. I also appreciate the support to Indigenous Science and initiatives in general because I think it’s together that we’re making science better.

Along with your busy research activities and field work, you are also an engaged science communicator. Why is it important for you to share your experience and promote participation in research?

Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Knowledge systems and Indigenous Science weren’t always appreciated or accepted in academic natural sciences. I think it’s important for people to know that Indigenous ways of knowing are just as valid and important as Western ways of knowing. It’s important for all people, but especially youth.

Planting seeds through outreach initiatives is one of my favourite parts of my job and it’s a priority for most of the First Nations we partner with. We have so much fun running youth camps, setting up information booths, visiting communities and classrooms. For example, we do an insect project and interestingly, the Anishinaabemowin word for insect is manidoosh which means little spirit. By including language and values to engage youth, we’re emphasizing those relationships to the land. It’s important in outreach to prioritize those original teachings because we’ll then inspire that next generation to think differently and know that their way of seeing the world is valid and important and belongs in science.

I will say change happens with small steps, and with the many small steps we have taken we’ve come a very long way, so I’m excited to see where this journey continues to take us and others that are doing similar really cool things.

What advice would you give to someone that was in the same place as you many years ago, a young graduate student located in Northern Ontario and interested in following a career path similar to yours?

When one challenges the status quo, the journey can be difficult, but not impossible. To an individual interested in following a similar career path, I would say thank you, miigwech. You are needed more than you know. Although the journey ahead may be difficult, you can persevere, and when you do, the far-reaching benefits will be absolutely incredible.

This interview was condensed and edited for length and clarity.

About Dr. Jesse Popp

Dr. Jesse Popp is a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Environmental Science at the University of Guelph. She is a member of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory with Anishinaabe and mixed European heritage and strives to promote inclusive science that embraces multiple ways of knowing while on her journey of learning and sharing. As the Principal Investigator of the Wildlife, Indigenous Science, Ecology (WISE) Lab, she and her research team work to weave Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to contribute to the advancement of environmental and ecological science. Together, the WISE Lab team embraces holistic and transdisciplinary research approaches to investigate ecological research questions identified by the Indigenous communities and organizations that they partner with. Through Indigenous-led projects that uplift Indigenous values and ways of knowing, Dr. Popp and her team contribute to environmental caretaking and the progression of the natural sciences in the spirit of reconciliation.

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