New faculty focus: SoHE’s Brian McInnes and Mariaelena Huambachano
Two new faculty members in the School of Human Ecology have an interest in Indigenous culture — one focusing on Native language preservation, and the other on Indigenous knowledge to improve food security.
Brian McInnes, associate professor of civil society and community studies, is currently engaged in community-based Indigenous language revitalization initiatives in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. “Much of my drive comes from the experience of living and working in Great Lakes Ojibwe communities or traditional territories,” he says.
Mariaelena Huambachano, assistant professor of civil society and community studies, focuses on the study of Indigenous ecologies of well-being and food sovereignty as entry points to the broader study of environmental ecology and biodiversity preservation. “I have forged close relationships and have worked intensively with multiple Indigenous communities across the world,” she says.