Laura St. Andrews

Major
Environmental Studies and Government
Class of
2014

I Researched the relocation efforts of indigenous Alaskan communities and US government hindrances and policies

• Analyzed United Nation policies regarding climate refugees, indigenous rights and the significance of UN conferences.

• Produced a Community Assessment Report analyzing the relocation needs of Shaktoolik, Alaska.

• Organized and administered the creation of a needs-based evaluation documentary published to www.aksik.org

• Conducted professor-guided research studying the hunting and subsistence cultures of a small Alaskan village.

• Wrote and produced an advocacy documentary chronicling the lifestyle and traditions of Savoonga, AK, using interviews and gathered research, published to www.aksik.org.

"My experience working on AKSIK transformed my understanding of the way that humans interact with biotic and abiotic communities. The research being conducted for AKSIK motivated me to keep Traditional Ecological Knowledge at the forefront of my studies and career path. Through working on AKIK, I learned that the wisdom of truly knowing a place, like the subsistence villagers in Alaska, is more than culturally important, it is a basis for scientific reasoning and government planning."