The TEK Faculty Fellow is a Cal Poly Humboldt faculty member whose role is to promote Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Indigenous Science within the university system. The NAS Department’s own Dr. Kaitlin Reed is serving as the inaugural TEK Faculty Fellow for the 2023-2024 academic year. Learn more about Dr. Reed and her work here.

The TEK Faculty Fellow works closely with the Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs to use allocated resources to plan, design, and support professional development and other institutional structures that integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Indigenous Science, and Indigenous Sovereignty into teaching and learning at Cal Poly Humboldt. The TEK Faculty Fellow has a specific emphasis on exploring intersections with the way the campus teaches sustainability topics and collaborates with numerous partners on campus, including the Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute. 

The TEK Faculty Fellow leads a wide range of efforts to promote indigenous knowledge and sovereignty on campus. Their primary activities include facilitating faculty & staff development book circles and the Decolonizing Sustainability Speaker Series. They have also applied for a National Endowment for the Humanities Spotlight Grant and created a video to be viewed by Place-Based Learning Community students during summer immersion. 

This academic year, in addition to their primary responsibilities, the TEK Faculty Fellow will also survey past book circle participants on their experiences and opinions, and will host an intensive syllabus workshop in Spring 2024. The Fellow’s work plan also includes reviewing and developing the Indigenous Science major pathway and investigating the potential to create course opportunities for faculty in Native American Studies.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to connect with the TEK Faculty Fellow!  

Dr. Reed can be reached at kaitlin.reed@humboldt.edu, by phone at (707) 826-3822, or by appointment at BSS 252.