HPAIRI STAFF

 

Dr. Tarissa Spoonhunter is the Director of HPAIRI. Formerly an associate professor at Central Wyoming College (CWC) Dr. Spoonhunter earned her masters and doctoral degrees from the University of Arizona. She is an experienced scholar in American Indian studies who grew up on Montana’s Blackfeet Indian Reservation and worked for nearly a decade on Wyoming’s Wind River Indian Reservation. As Director of HPAIRI, she initiates, fosters and facilitates research partnerships between the University of Wyoming and the Wind River tribes. Spoonhunter has a primary faculty appointment at UW’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, and a secondary appointment in the university's College of Arts and Sciences. As a faculty member at the Haub School, Dr. Spoonhunter teaches, conducts research and engages with stakeholders to advance understanding of complex environmental and natural resource challenges. She has deep experience in tribal resource management, traditional ecological knowledge and interdisciplinary approaches, and offers critical learning opportunities for Haub School and UW students.

 

 

 

Nichole Lumadue is the senior project coordinator at HPAIRI. Her appointment involves building and strengthening new and existing nation-to-nation relationships between the University of Wyoming, Indigenous communities, and tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). Nichole also advises the UW American Indian Science and Engineering Society student organization and supports undergraduate, transfer, and graduate students funded through HPAIRI-led efforts.earned her master of science in teaching from the University of Wyoming in Natural Science Education and Environment and Natural Resources.

Nichole is trained in informal science education with an emphasis on experiential learning and community-driven transdisciplinary collaborations. Her research interests focus on nation-building efforts, place-based teaching, and academic pathways for Indigenous students.