Haury Program Announces 2026 Indigenous Resilience Graduate Research Award Recipients

Alana Bitsuie is a PhD student in American Indian Studies, and her advisor is Dr. Aresta Tsosie-Paddock. Alana received a Degree Completion award to finish her dissertation entitled “Linguistic Innovations in Indigenous Governance: A Comparative Study of How Cree and Diné Language Traditions Shape Food Sovereignty and Land Governance Across the US-Canada Border.”  Indigenous governance systems encode decision-making logic within language itself — concepts of reciprocity, kinship obligation, and land relationship that resist direct translation into Western policy frameworks. This research conducts a comparative analysis of how Cree language traditions in Canada and Diné and other southwestern US Indigenous language traditions generate distinct yet structurally parallel innovations in food sovereignty and land governance.  Using quantum relational theory as a conceptual framework to express the entangled, non-linear patterns embedded in Indigenous governance, this study asks: how does linguistic structure shape governance differently across Indigenous nations, and what decision-making patterns emerge from Indigeneity itself rather than colonial administrative frameworks? This research extends an active binational partnership with Red Earth Cree Nation and the University of Alberta supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Haury funds will support interviews with Navajo Nation and other US tribal governance leaders, generating comparative data that advances Indigenous food sovereignty and land governance across the US-Canada border.

Mira Busch is a Masters student in Geography at the School of Geography, Development & Environment. Mira received a Graduate Research Award, and her advisor is Dr. Andrea Gerlak. Mira’s research is entitled “CRIT Water Sovereignty: Motivations behind the Legal Personhood of the Colorado River.” This project analyzes the motivations that led the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) Tribal Council to declare legal personhood of the Colorado River under Tribal Law on November 6, 2025. This research centers Tribal water resilience, sovereignty and leadership in a space that has historically excluded Indigenous participation and has denied Indigenous claims to water rights. It will investigate how legal personhood might serve as a modern legal tool to disrupt dominant, technocratic water governance and transform governance practices in the overallocated Colorado River Basin.

Brooke Damon is a Masters student in Environmental Science. Brooke received the Graduate Research Award, and her advisor is Dr. Joseph Hoover. The title of her thesis is “Evaluating fluoride groundwater occurrence on Diné Bikéyah (Navajo Nation) using a community-engaged approach.” Tribal environmental resilience is linked with access to safe and reliable drinking water. Residents of the Navajo Nation who lack access to a public water supply often turn to hand pumps, windmills and other unregulated sources not monitored for contaminants to meet their domestic needs. Previous water quality studies in the Navajo Nation have investigated the occurrence and distribution of uranium and arsenic but there remains limited investigation of fluoride, a globally important contaminant that affects human and livestock health. Fluoride has been measured at high concentrations in communities of the Navajo Nation but there remains limited knowledge about the hydrogeological processes that lead to fluoride in groundwater. Therefore, this project seeks to 1) co-develop a community-based water quality assessment, and 2) create and deliver a set of environmental education lessons to grow Tribal environmental resilience for residents in a Navajo community.”

Deandra Jones is a PhD student in Wildlife Conservation and Management, School of Natural Resources and the Environment. Deandra received the Degree Completion award, and her advisor is Dr. Michael Bogan. The title of her thesis is “Black Bears, Cultural Knowledge, and Conservation on the Navajo Nation.” This project focuses on black bears and their relationships with people on the Navajo Nation, drawing on ecological patterns and cultural meaning. Black bears hold deep cultural significance in Diné teachings, and this work centers respect, responsibility, and relational understanding in how knowledge is interpreted and shared. Fieldwork and data collection have been completed, including noninvasive genetic sampling to estimate population size, as well as interviews and surveys to better understand human bear interactions and community perspectives. The current phase of this work focuses on completing data analysis and dissertation writing. This includes finalizing population estimates, analyzing patterns of human bear interactions, and synthesizing cultural knowledge shared by community members. The final goal is degree completion through a PhD dissertation that brings together ecological and cultural insights in ways that are accountable to community priorities and that supports ongoing conversations about bear management and coexistence on the Navajo Nation.

Breanna Lameman is a PhD student in Public Health at the Department of Health Promotion Sciences. Breanna received a Graduate Research Award and her advisor is Dr. Nicole Yuan. The title of her dissertation is “Strengthening Diné Food Systems: Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Agricultural Innovation for Dine Food Sovereignty, Health, and Community Wellbeing.” This dissertation is informed from a completed scoping review (aim 1) examining how agricultural technologies are transforming Indigenous food systems in CANZUS western countries. Building from aim 1, the research investigates how Indigenous farmers and Native-led agriculture organizations in the Navajo Nation are adapting to climate change, engaging with agriculture technologies, and articulating the cultural, governance, and relational priorities that inform Diné food sovereignty and Indigenous data sovereignty through talking circles and a community survey. This research will document community-defined priorities within Diné food and agriculture systems, Diné knowledge, and lived experience. The data generated will guide the development of community-based actionable recommendations and policy options for tribal leaders. Findings will be returned to the Navajo Nation through culturally grounded reporting and community-based dissemination strategies, assuring that the research directly supports community decision making and contributes to Diné food sovereignty and climate resilience.

Anna Ortiz is a PhD student in English in Literary and Cultural Studies / Latin American Studies. Anna received a Degree Completion award, and her advisor is Dr. Jennifer Jenkins. Anna’s dissertation is entitled “Land Defense, Memory, and Indigenous Environmental Resilience among the Maya Ch'orti' of Copán, Honduras.” This project examines how Maya Ch'orti' land defense movements in Copán, Honduras sustain Indigenous environmental resilience across generations through a focused three-week fieldwork period from June 7 to June 28, 2027. Centering the life and legacy of Candido Amador Recinos, a leader in the Maya Ch'orti' movement and founder of CONICHH, the research investigates how struggles for communal territory shape environmental stewardship, food sovereignty, and access to essential resources. Candido’s assassination in the 1990s galvanized a sustained movement for territorial recognition and land return that continues to influence community organizing today. Through community-based oral histories, testimonio-style interviews, and ethnographic engagement with Maya Ch'orti' collaborators and members of organizations such as CONICHH and CODAMINCH, this project documents how land defense movements inform contemporary environmental resilience and collective survival. The research is grounded in principles of respectful consultation, reciprocal knowledge sharing, and responsible, community-engaged practice.

Patrick Robinson is a PhD student in Sociocultural Anthropology, School of Anthropology. Patrick received a Graduate Research Award for his research entitled “Lessons from Junín: Community-Based Water Monitoring as a means of Promoting Indigenous Environmental Resilience in Intag, Ecuador,” and his advisor is  Dr. Stefanie Graeter. The Andean cloud forests of Ecuador’s Intag valley are among the most biodiverse in the world. However, they also contain billions of tons of copper ore; consequently, the Ecuadorian state is allowing foreign mining companies to drill exploratory boreholes in multiple agricultural communities. Water quality data collected via a community-based environmental monitoring program in the village of Junín show increases in acidity, electrical conductivity, and heavy metals concentrations since the onset of exploratory drilling; however, most communities remain in the dark vis-à-vis the impacts of drilling on their rivers and streams. In collaboration with local leaders, I propose to institute similar community-based water monitoring programs in the Indigenous villages of Irubí and Buenos Aires. These will empower local people to understand the impacts of exploratory drilling on local surface waters—and, in the event of contamination, generate legal evidence with which they can petition for a halt to mining operations.

Emily Rockey is a Masters student in Environmental Science. Emily received a Graduate Research Award and her advisor is Dr. Debankur Sanyal. The title of her research is “Investigating the Effect of Indigenous Agriculture on Soil Health in the Southwest.” Key factors influencing agricultural soil health include farming practices such as cropping systems and rotations, management intensity, soil disturbance and erosion control, and inputs like water or fertilizer. Traditional Indigenous farmers have always used unique soil management techniques, water conservation systems, place-based crops, and long-standing cultural practices to promote system longevity and efficiency. This one-year study aims to determine the differences in soil health, fertility, and crop productivity between Indigenous agriculture and conventional modern methods. Using an integrative approach, this research aims to analyze various soil parameters through laboratory testing. Additionally, Indigenous perspectives on soil health are described in relation to soil test results. The collaborating researchers include numerous Indigenous farmers in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico who maintain their traditional methods to promote fertile soil and sustainable food production. Youth and community engagement throughout the study will further knowledge development and capacity building support resilient communities, and encourage thriving future food systems.

Noah Schlager is a PhD student in Geography at the School of Geography Development and the Environment. Noah received a Graduate research award for his thesis entitled “Carrying Our Seeds Home: Rematriation and Growing Resilient Indigenous Seed Keeping Networks”. His advisor is Dr. Tristan Reader. Indigenous food sovereignty relies upon healthy, accessible, and culturally stewarded seed populations. While important backups, seed banks can become sites of genetic and cultural loss when not actively stewarded by Indigenous farmers. From 2019–2021, I served as Conservation Program Manager at Native Seed/SEARCH, where I led efforts to rematriate seeds to Indigenous farmers across the Southwest. This project evaluates the long-term outcomes of that work five years later. In partnership with the International Indian Treaty Council and San Xavier Cooperative Farm, I will interview participating farmers and document the population status of rematriated corn, bean, squash, and watermelon varieties. Funding will support on-farm fieldwork, a Seed Keeper gathering, and the production of a community-facing zine on Indigenous seed rematriation and agroecological resilience. A dissertation chapter will also be produced to be presented at the American Association of Geographers conference in 2027.

Michael Spears is a PhD student in American Indian Studies, and his advisor is Dr. Benedict Colombi. Michael received a Degree Completion Award to help him complete his thesis entitled “Examining the Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPO) Program: Tribal Sovereignty in Federal Historic Preservation.” This project examines how Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs) function as key institutional hubs within Tribal governments, supporting Tribal sovereignty, cultural continuity, and land-based decision-making. While THPOs are formally tasked with historic preservation responsibilities, in practice they engage with a wide range of issues affecting Tribal lands and lifeways, including infrastructure development, land management, and environmental change. Through interviews and a survey of THPOs, this research documents how these programs shape decision-making processes and protect culturally significant landscapes across diverse Tribal contexts. By centering Tribal perspectives, this study highlights THPO programs as critical mechanisms through which Indigenous communities sustain cultural systems and assert sovereignty in the face of ongoing environmental and development challenges. The Haury Program Degree Completion Grant will support the Mr. Spears in completing his dissertation writing, providing critical funding support the final steps in obtaining their degree.

And last but not least, Alison Watson is a PhD student in Environmental Health Sciences at the Department of Community, Environment, and Policy Program. Alison received a Graduate Research Award in combination with special Director’s Fund allocation. Alison’s advisor is  Dr. Paloma Beamer, and the title of her thesis is “Investigating Early Life Arsenic Exposure in Yaqui Communities.” Arsenic is a naturally occurring element that has been used for centuries in mining, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. Exposure to arsenic can arise through drinking water, food, soil, and dust. Increased arsenic exposure in humans has been associated with respiratory symptoms and decreased lung function, including health effects in every other organ system, therefore has become a worldwide concern. The Yaqui tribe in Sonora face challenges such as arsenic contaminated water sources that contributes to environmental health disparities for Indigenous communities. This research aims to address the effect of arsenic exposure on early life lung function development in association with pulmonary biomarkers through collected water and dust samples from three Yaqui communities. This goal of this study is to build on prior work focused on arsenic exposures in the Southwest to develop a culturally refined and feasible arsenic risk assessment paradigm that may be applied to other Indigenous communities in Arizona.