Cascadia Culture and geoScience Exchange Program
Makah – Qʷidiččaʔa·tx̌
The Makah Tribe has lived at Neah Bay in Washington state since time immemorial. There, the Qʷidiččaʔa·tx̌ (Makah) Tribe Villages have skillfully lived off the land and the sea and continue to practice their ancient culture today.
About
Program Overview
ʔux̌u·ʔaƛa·ksa (Hello all!). Communities along the coast of Washington and Oregon in the Pacific Northwest (i.e., Cascadia) are at risk of large megathrust earthquakes and their subsequent tsunamis. Though earthquakes don’t happen often in this region, they have the potential to be extremely devastating. University of Washington (UW) students on the 2024-2025 Makah CASE team will travel to and teach seismology at Neah Bay High School on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, home to the Makah Indian Reservation. The goal of this program is to bolster community resilience to these geophysical events by teaching students about seismology, communicating about these hazards to the larger community, and even installing a seismometer at the high school.
The Makah CASE seismology program builds upon the seismology curriculum taught at Quileute Tribal School the previous school year, and it centers around a week-long seismology curriculum taught during UW’s spring break in March. In addition to a full week of teaching, the Makah CASE team will conduct multiple site visits to Neah Bay High School where they will teach lessons for the day, get to know teachers and students, and participate in various cultural and community activities. Additionally, the team will create an internship for Neah Bay High School students to gain experience as scientists, through which the students will install a RaspberryShake seismometer in the school. This will be their own school seismometer, and the data will be free and publicly available to all. The Makah CASE team will also share about their experiences beyond high school, in college, and at UW, all while providing resources and mentorship for Makah high schoolers.
The cultural exchange aspect of “CASE” is equally as important. Through this program, the Makah CASE team will engage with the Makah Nation to better understand their history and culture. Makah CASE team members will learn about traditional indigenous knowledge and histories from tribal members and Elders, will learn to speak and introduce themselves in Makah, and participate in various traditional cultural activities and events.
Overall, the seismology CASE program at Neah Bay facilitates a culture and science exchange between UW students and members of the Makan Nation, encourages community resilience to geohazards, fosters STEM identities of Makah high school students, and makes life-saving science accessible to a vulnerable community.
Program Outline
Fall 2024: Site Visit
- Teach (1 day seismology lesson)
- College Table at lunch
- Get to know students and community members
- Meet with high school interns
UW Spring Break 2025
- Teach (5 day seismology and tsunami curriculum)
- Participate in cultural activities
- Learn more Makah language skills
- Install school seismometer
Spring 2025: Site Visit or high schoolers visit UW campus
Follow
Makah CASE Blog
Follow the journey of the 2024-2025 Makah CASE program and hear from high schoolers in the program!
1. First Site Visit at NBHS
Meet The Team
Makah CASE Leadership
Julia Grossman
Makah CASE Lead
University of Washington
Julia Grossman is a PhD student at the University of Washington. For her research, she models earthquakes and tsunamis that could happen in the Pacific Northwest. After graduate school, Julia aspires to work at the intersection of geophysics research, hazard mitigation, and disaster risk reduction. She is especially passionate about pairing societally-relevant geohazards research with vital outreach efforts in at-risk communities. Last year, Julia was a member of the Quileute CASE team and learned a lot about integrating indigenous knowledge into culturally-sustaining geoscience lessons and about building strong community relationships. This year, Julia is excited to lead the first Makah CASE team to teach a seismology curriculum at Neah Bay High School in the Makah Indian Nation. She looks forward to fostering a love of science and to creating meaningful connections with everyone at Neah Bay! In her free time, Julia enjoys hiking, photography, and talking about Washington’s very cool rocks!
Abby Heinicke
Language & Culture Lead
University of Washington
Abby Heinicke is a sophomore studying Journalism and Public Interest Communication at The University of Washington. She aspires to be a magazine editor, and she currently writes and edits for Her Campus at Washington. Outside of her academics, Abby enjoys playing basketball, trying new coffee shops, and thrifting. She also works as an official for UW’s Intramural sports. Abby has experience working with indigenous tribes back home in Southern California, the Paiute Tribe in Bishop specifically! She heard about this opportunity through her Natural Hazards and Disasters class – shoutout to her professor Harold Tobin and TA Maddy Lucas! She is looking forward to making new connections with the Makah Tribe in Neah Bay and learning more about their culture, and hopes to write for local newspapers about the culture and STEM exchange that CCASE teams are doing alongside indigenous communities.
Lydia Fryer
Student Internship Lead
University of Washington
Lydia Fryer is an exchange student at the University of Washington from University College London, UK, studying Physical Geography and Environmental Science. Her interests are in palaeoclimatology, environmental pollution, natural hazards and anthropogenic climate change, and she plans to pursue a career in climate governance and policy making. Outside of university Lydia plays rugby and enjoys all things outdoors! Like Abby Heinicke, she heard about this programme from Maddy Lucas through the Natural Hazards and Disasters class. She is looking forward to learning more about the history and cultures present in Washington as part of the Makah CASE team, teaching about seismology and encouraging students to think about their futures outside of high school and the possibility of pursuing higher education.
Miranda Jackson-Gain
Post-High School Mentorship Lead
University of Washington
Miranda Jackson-Gain is an undergraduate studying Earth and Space Science and climate science at the University of Washington. She has an interest in geohazards, public health, and education. She currently works at the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network in outreach and helps connect people with information about potential hazards and preparedness. She also takes part in foraminifera research to determine the health of urban waterways around the puget sound. Miranda also enjoys movies, writing, making art, and playing music. In the future Miranda hopes to use her background to collaborate with communities and take part in sustaining safe places for people to live as well as help foster pathways. Miranda is excited to work on the Makah CASE team and engage with youth around the discussion of higher education and future prospects as well as connect with smaller communities outside of Seattle.
Meet The Team
Makah CASE Partner Teachers & Staff
Holly Keedy
Science Teacher
Neah Bay High School
Hazel Greene
Language & Culture Teacher
Neah Bay High School
Misty Smith
Language & Culture Teacher
Neah Bay High School
