About the Authors

Frances Butterfield is from Treaty 1 Territory in Winnipeg and grew up on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe, Néhinaw (Cree), Oji-Cree, Dakȟóta (Dakota), and Métis Nations. She is Métis-Cree from Norway House and a Ukrainian settler. Frances is a student in the Combined Major in Science (CMS) program at UBC, studying chemistry, life sciences, and environmental sciences, on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Frances worked as an Indigenous collegium advisor for two years and as a chemistry tutor at the First Nations House of Learning. She also volunteered with Destination UBC and contributed to the development and implementation of UBC’s Indigenous Strategic Plan through her roles as a student representative and Indigenous Strategic Initiatives Fund adjudicator. Frances was hired as an Undergraduate Academic Assistant by Skylight and has worked on numerous projects related to inclusive teaching in UBC Science. She is passionate about challenging and improving university systems and elevating the voices and experiences of Indigenous students to help create more equitable and respectful learning spaces in STEM fields. Recognizing that Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Doing aren’t always reflected in STEM curricula through her personal experiences and conversations with peers, she sees the value and importance of addressing the barriers faced by Indigenous students in science education. In creating this resource, Frances led focus group discussions with Indigenous students to share their experiences and provide feedback as it was important to her that the content was reflective of the experiences of other students, not just her own.

Ashley Welsh is of settler descent and was born and raised on the traditional and treaty territory of the Mississaugas and Chippewas of the Anishinabeg (Williams Treaties First Nations) and now lives in Vancouver on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Ashley is the Faculty Liaison (Science) in the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology and the Science Centre for Learning and Teaching (Skylight) at the University of British Columbia Vancouver (UBCV). Within this cross-appointed role, she develops, facilitates, and partners on professional development as a means to enrich curriculum, pedagogy, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and decolonizing practices in undergraduate math and science education. Ashley works closely with colleagues and units within and outside of UBC to build more inclusive teaching, learning, and work environments and to create stronger relationships among faculty, staff, students, and the broader community. Ashley holds a BSc in Chemical Physics from the University of Guelph and an MA and PhD in Curriculum Studies (Science Education) from UBC.