This episode of Confluence celebrates Ada Smith, Ph.D. candidate in Forestry and Conservation Sciences at UM. Recently, Smith was announced as a winner of a the P.E.O. award, a national organization that honors a female graduate student making a distinctive contribution to education. Listen in to hear about Smith's previous research on Indigenous food sovereignty with Gitxaala Nation in northern British Columbia and the decolonizing research approach she used, which she has brough into her work here at UM. Now, Smith is working with ranchers in Montana on the challenges of adapting to climate change.

This episode is the beginning of a 3-part series exploring the power of collaborative work in natural resource conservation and highlighting the role of three dynamic, independent female scholars at UM.