Traditional Knowledge – Empowering STEM for the next generation

In celebration of NAIDOC Week, the panel explores the powerful intersection between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’ Traditional Knowledge and STEM knowledge. They discuss how Indigenous ways of knowing—as the world's oldest surviving scientists and technologists—can solve complex global challenges in health, education and digital technology.

More information about NAIDOC Week, including resources and history for the annual celebration, can be found at naidoc.org.au.

Host: Dr Emma Wensing (Diversity & Inclusion Manager at ATSE)

Moderator: Professor Alex Brown FTSE (Director of the National Centre for Indigenous Genomics)

Guests:

• Dr Rhett Loban - Director of Indigenous Education, University of Technology Sydney
• Nicole Boyd - PhD Candidate & Elevate Scholar

Key Discussion Points

1. Career paths

• Alex [08:02]
• Rhett [13:01]
• Nicole [19:26]

2. Indigenous Knowledge in digital tech & games

• Developing immersive VR to teach Island custom and history through digital storytelling [14:52] – Torres Strait Virtual Reality Project.
• Embedding Traditional Knowledge into the IT curriculum [11:15].

3. "Both ways" of learning in the classroom

• The Goompi pedagogical model to teach maths through indigenous cultural expression [25:42] – https://atsima.com/resources/.
• Using a creative "Pet Dragon" model to teach Mendelian inheritance to remote students, bridging the gap between art and science [23:51] – https://scienceinschool.org/article/2011/dragons/
• How students can learn proportional reasoning and volume by collecting bush medicine [28:11].

4. Philosophy of "listening to Country"

• The Yolngu concept of Ganma, the meeting of salt water and fresh water, as a space where new, intercultural ideas emerge [38:52].
• Scientists need to be respectful of deeply rooted Indigenous Knowledge systems [09:25].

Notable Quotes

"We have at our fingertips the most deeply rooted knowledge systems... if we are only respectful and quiet enough to listen, we will be gifted the most amazing understanding of the world." - Professor Alex Brown

"Software development is iterative... it aligns really well with Indigenous protocols of community co-design and iterative conversations." - Dr Rhett Loban

"Maths is everywhere. It’s not just a whiteboard; it’s the women sitting in a circle—that is what pedagogy looks like." - Nicole Boyd

Useful Links

• STELR Program (www.stelr.org.au): ATSE’s national STEM education initiative for schools
• Elevate Scholarship (atse.org.au/elevate): A leadership scholarship supporting women in STEM, which Vanessa currently holds.
• IMNIS Program (www.imnis.org.au): An industry mentoring network for PhD students.
• Discover ATSE’s Traditional Knowledge Innovation Award: https://atse.org.au/what-we-do/atse-awards/traditional-knowledge-innovation-award/winners-of-the-traditional-knowledge-innovation-award/

Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fvPukpXNvk