A Bachelor of Science duo from Mount Royal University are investigating Bow River water quality upstream and downstream of an Indigenous community as part of a unique bursary and mentoring program.
Hannah Grewal and Danielle Dusome, who is Métis, took on the research because it was an opportunity to pursue valuable work experience in their field, as well as to participate in reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Their work is being funded through Sistering Indigenous and Western Science (SINEWS), a bursary and mentoring program supporting eight pairs of women from post-secondary institutions, with each pair consisting of one Indigenous and one non-Indigenous individual.
Applications for SINEWS were open across Canada with seven pairs selected from Alberta and one pair from the Northwest Territories.
"The goal of our research is to determine the health of their water" says Bachelor of Science General Science alumna Hannah Grewal. "We conduct water testing (biological and chemical) on the Bow River water upstream and downstream of the community we are working with."
The researchers are working in the traditional territory of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot).
"We are also speaking with elders and other members of the community to obtain traditional knowledge about water," Grewal says.
SINEWS' purpose is to give women in science and technology the opportunity to develop scientific leadership and teamwork skills, create a professional network and foster positive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous women and their communities. SINEWS is funded by Natural Resources Canada through its innovation fund.
