Interview Revealing Findings: A Discussion with Gemma M. Sahwell
In the world of geological research, one PhD candidate at Princeton University is challenging the status quo. Gemma Sahwell, a member of both the Blue Lab and the Higgins Research Laboratory, is redefining her field by incorporating indigenous histories and storytelling into her work.
Sahwell's research focuses on evaluating the efficacy of shallow-water carbonate rocks as archives of seawater chemistry through geologic history. However, her recent work has opened her eyes to the extractive nature of geological research and prompted her to question how she chooses the samples she uses in her scientific work.
This introspection led Sahwell to embrace an interdisciplinary approach, inspired by conversations with Professor Allison Carruth and the Blue Lab team. She encourages students to do the same, advising them not to be afraid if the plan for their research changes over time.
One of Sahwell's most notable interdisciplinary projects is her work on tracking changes in solid earth and climate processes through time, providing insights into earth's future in the face of natural and anthropogenic changes. This project, however, goes beyond traditional scientific methods by building elements of environmental storytelling into her scientific work.
An example of this approach can be seen in a course developed by Assistant Professor Keeler at Lafayette College. The course combines practical and spiritual aspects of land use by integrating Native American creation stories, particularly from the Haudenosaunee, Cherokee, and Delaware peoples. The course emphasises understanding land as an active agent influencing culture and history, thereby linking environmental science with indigenous knowledge systems.
Moreover, the project involves hands-on environmental practices such as mulching, composting, and planting native crops of the Lenni Lenape (Delaware) people on ancestral soil in Pennsylvania. These native crops—including tobacco, beans, and squash—are then sent to the Delaware Nation in Oklahoma, reconnecting displaced indigenous communities with their traditional foodways.
This work explicitly addresses climate change through the lens of indigenous land stewardship and engages with the history of forced removal and colonial dispossession in the U.S., thus blending environmental science, history, indigenous studies, and environmental humanities in one holistic project.
Sahwell emphasises the importance of building a support network around one's work, especially when venturing outside of one's discipline. She reminds students to pause and remind themselves why they decided to pursue earth science research, and encourages them to go for it if they wish to explore interdisciplinary avenues.
Sahwell's interdisciplinary project was born out of her experiences working as a research assistant in the department of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and having conversations with John Higgins, who would later become her adviser. One of Sahwell's fossil corals was even collected as a part of a United States Geological Survey (USGS) expedition to study radiation leftover in the landscape after the US government detonated 67 nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands during the cold war.
In conclusion, Gemma Sahwell's interdisciplinary approach to geosciences research provides a compelling example of how anthropogenic climate change research can be enriched by indigenous histories and storytelling. By recognising land not merely as a physical resource but as a living participant with cultural significance tied to colonial histories, Sahwell's work offers a fresh perspective on the field of geosciences.
[1] This paragraph is a direct quote from the source material and has been included as such.
- Gemma Sahwell, in her junior paper, explores the intersection of climate-change research and environmental science with indigenous knowledge systems, advocating for the integration of storytelling and history in her work.
- In her research, Sahwell emphasizes personal-growth and learning expansive disciplines, urging students to delve into environmental-science and education-and-self-development, as she has done by incorporating Native American creation stories into her work on climate change.
- Sahwell's project on solid earth and climate processes serves as a prime example of an innovative scientific paper, combining traditional geological research methods with elements of indigenous storytelling, thereby blending science, history, and environmental humanities in one holistic work.
