Diné teacher Kim Etsitty selected to explore the ocean aboard Nautilus

Posted by Navajo Times | Apr 4, 2024 | People |

By Navajo Times

NAVAJO, N.M. — Ocean Exploration Trust selected Kim Etsitty from Navajo Pine High School as a 2024 Science Communication Fellow.

Etsitty, who’s originally from Chinle, will sail aboard OET’s Exploration Vessel, Nautilus, this fall as part of a deep ocean exploration team. She will bring the excitement of exploration to learners in the Navajo Nation and worldwide.
Etsitty is Tódích’íi’nii and born for Tó’aheedlíinii. Her maternal grandfather is Kinyaa’áanii, and her paternal grandfather is Naakaii Dine’é.

Kim was selected from a worldwide pool of applicants and will join a cohort of 13 fellows from schools, science centers, and nonprofit organizations across the Pacific and North America. In October and November, they will join OET alongside the Palau International Coral Reef Center, NOAA Ocean Exploration, and other Palauan and U.S. collaborators to conduct an expedition aboard E/V Nautilus to explore deep-sea habitats within Palau National Marine Sanctuary.

“I look forward to connecting with classrooms worldwide and exchanging cultures about the importance of water,” Etsitty said. “It is an honor to be selected because Indigenous peoples have ecological knowledge that can help restore the land and waters.”

“I am very grateful to share the Diné worldview with leading scientists and serve as a role model to future Indigenous scientists,” she added.

While at sea, Kim will have the opportunity to connect with learners across Navajo, New Mexico, and the Navajo Nation. Everyone can engage with these educators via NautilusLive.org, a 24-hour live-streaming web portal bringing expeditions from the field to explorers on shore via telepresence technology and social media.

Etsitty will participate in live broadcast dive commentary and Q&A sessions aboard the ship through the Nautilus Live website. She will also engage in events and activities upon their return. Schools and community groups can also schedule free, live, one-on-one Q&A sessions with explorers on the ship beginning in May.

“Science Communication Fellows work alongside scientists and engineers and help to convey the excitement of the ocean exploration experience across the NautilusLive live stream, social media, and outreach directly with classrooms,” said Megan Cook, OET’s director of education and outreach. “We are proud to elevate role models for learners, focusing on reaching communities historically marginalized from science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, and ocean fields.”

The OET Science Communication Fellowship brings formal and informal educators on board Nautilus to engage students and the public in the wonders of ocean exploration while sharing discoveries from the 2024 mission and aspects of daily life aboard a working exploration vessel. Through the year, fellows grow their science communication skills, attend in-person professional development training with worldwide Fellows, and spend several weeks as a crucial part of the team aboard E/V Nautilus. Fellows bring ocean exploration back to their home communities by incorporating their experience into classroom lesson plans, community presentation events, and informal educational opportunities.

Ocean Exploration Trust, a nonprofit founded by Robert Ballard, is on a mission to explore the unknown parts of the ocean. It seeks discoveries in geology, biology, and hydrography while pushing the boundaries of STEAM education and technological innovation. OET promotes science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics education worldwide, using the excitement of exploration and innovation to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.

“One of the major goals of our Nautilus Exploration Program is to motivate the next generation of explorers,” said Allison Fundis, OET’s chief operating officer. “We are very excited to provide educators with the direct experience in ocean exploration while allowing them the opportunity to share that experience with their peers around the world.”

OET’s nine 2024 expeditions in Hawaii, American Samoa, the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands, Palau, and Canada will contribute to a better understanding of the ocean by supporting international scientific and U.S. governmental priorities, particularly understanding ocean changes, sharing that knowledge with others, and contributing discoveries and data that will inform future conservation and management decisions.

“Navajo Pine High School is excited for Ms. Etsitty’s expedition to explore the ocean. The ocean and water are very sacred and instrumental to the Diné people, so we look forward to new knowledge that will combine scientific data with Diné students’ cultural knowledge to grasp in our science classes,” said Roberta Tayah, the principal of Navajo Pine High. “This knowledge is valuable to Diné youth, people, and the surrounding community as science comes to life through Ms. Etsitty at NPHS.”