Ask a Scientist [topic: native american science] July 9, 2008

THIS MONTH'S TOPIC: Native American Science

Tonight Berkeley astronomer Isabel Hawkins and the Native American Academy's Rose von Thater Braan will join forces to discuss the topic of Native science. Isabel will talk with us about Native American astronomy from a western perpective, and Rose will address how Indigenous learning processes differ from the western scientific method that most of us are probably used to. You may already know that among the ancient world's top astronomers were Native Americans. For example, Mayan measurements of the known planets' synodic periods were every bit as accurate as Ptolemy's, and their calendar was so precise that it could predict the occurrence of eclipses to an error of one day in 6,000 years. But despite the concurrence of our observations, the methods and goals of western vs. Native science contrast with one another in some thought-provoking ways. Discover how these two divergent world views differ, what they share, and how bringing them together holds the potential for a paradigmatic shift and the emergence of a whole new kind of science.

ABOUT THE SERIES: Ask a Scientist is an informative, entertaining, monthly lecture series, held at a San Francisco cafe. Each event features a speaker on a scientific topic, a short presentation, and the opportunity to ask all those burning questions that have been keeping you up at night. No tests, grades, or pressure…just food, drinks, socializing, and conversation about the universe’s most fascinating mysteries.

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