Two Circles - When Arts Meets Science

Join us for a fascinating discussion of western and Indigenous perspectives and epistemologies on energy, physics, multi-dimensionality and spirituality. Tanya Harnett, from the Faculty of Arts, will moderate a discussion with Leroy Little Bear, a member of the Indigenous Wisdom Advisory Panel, and James Pinfold, a renowned particle physicist from the Department of Physics at the University of Alberta. There will be a reception following the discussion.

This event is hosted by the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Science, and the Kule Institute for Advanced Study.

Speakers

Leroy Little Bear

Member of the Kainai First Nation and one of Canada’s most respected Indigenous academic voices

Leroy Little Bear was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2019 and has received numerous prestigious awards. He is also a founding member of the Native Studies Department at the University of Lethbridge where he was chair for 21 years and is the current Vice-Provost Iniskim Indigenous Relations. Little Bear has been a mentor and consultant on Indigenous matters at local, national, and international levels. His work influenced legal and policy realms, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He currently sits as a member of the Indigenous Wisdom Advisory Panel sponsored by the Alberta government to bring Indigenous perspectives to environmental monitoring. His important work with the Buffalo Treaty has had a profound effect on many across Turtle Island.

James Pinfold

Professor in the Department of Physics and a leading figure in particle physics

James Pinfold's contributions as a leader in four major advances involving the CERN supercollider were vital in establishing the Standard Model of particle physics, including key advances such as the discovery of neutral currents, charm particle production, the three types of light neutrino, and the Higgs boson. Dr. Pinfold currently leads the MoEDAL (Monopole and Exotics Detector at the LHC) experiment that started data taking at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015. A founding member of both the OPAL and ATLAS experiments at CERN, he has led multiple international experiments. He is now focused on discovering new physics that will expand beyond the Standard Model.

Moderator

Tanya Harnett

Associate Dean, Indigenous Relations in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta

Tanya Harnett is of Nakota and British descent, and is a band member of Carry the Kettle First Nation. She is a multimedia/conceptual artist and has exhibited her work locally, nationally and international. As a curator, she developed The Aunties are Listening exhibition with artwork from the Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC), Indigenous Art Collection and curated the Residential School exhibition at the Royal Alberta Museum.