Science on Country: First Nation's knowledge in modern STEM

In this episode of the Shape Your Future education series from ATSE celebrating NAIDOC Week, a panel of First Nations leaders and researchers explores "Science on Country" and how First Nations knowledge intersects with modern STEM. The discussion highlights how cellular immunology, genomics, and Indigenous data sovereignty converge to advance health outcomes, honor cultural responsibility, and shape the future of science in Australia.

Host: Tamara McGregor (Program Delivery Lead at ATSE)

Moderator & Guest: Professor Misty Jenkins AO FTSE – Immunologist, Head of Immunotherapy Laboratory at WEHI, and ATSE Fellow [03:45]

Guest: Associate Professor Azure Hermes – Deputy Director of the National Center for Indigenous Genomics (NCIG) at the Australian National University [14:35]

Key Discussion Points

1. Diverse Career Pathways & First Nations Representation in STEM

• Professor Misty Jenkins AO [08:10]: Grew up on Wadawurrung country and joined St John Ambulance at age 11 driven by curiosity about the human body. She emphasized that you don't need to leave your culture at the door when entering STEM—your family, culture, and community are your ultimate sources of strength.
• Associate Professor Azure Hermes [18:40]: Took a non-traditional pathway without a university degree or PhD, transitioning from government work into leading community engagement and now serving as Deputy Director of NCIG. She demonstrated that science needs people who lead governance, ethics, and community translation, not just lab researchers.

2. Indigenous Data Sovereignty & Cultural Ethics in Genomics

• The History of Biological Collections [15:40]: Azure shared the history of NCIG’s collection of ~7,000 blood samples collected from 35 Indigenous communities between the 1960s and 1990s without today's standard of informed consent, and how NCIG shifted to Indigenous-led custodianship.
• Data Sovereignty & Safeguards [32:40]: Explains Indigenous Data Sovereignty—that data belongs to the individuals and communities, not the institutions holding it. NCIG operates a controlled, closed-access system governed by an Indigenous majority board to ensure full community choice and protection [33:40].
• Kinship Systems as First Genetics [25:40]: Debunked the myth that First Nations people are "anti-genomics," pointing out that First Nations cultures have understood genetics for tens of thousands of years through complex kinship and marriage systems.

3. Innovation in Health & Cellular Immunotherapy

• Precision Cancer Therapeutics [11:00]: Professor Misty Jenkins demonstrated how T-cells are engineered into living cell therapies to target and blow up cancer cells, highlighting the shift toward personalized, bespoke medicine based on individual genomic profiles [36:45].
• Community-Led Research [26:45]: Shift from research done on Indigenous communities to research driven with and for communities on their own terms.

Notable Quotes

"I realized when I was there that I didn't need to leave my identity at the door to belong to STEM... my family, my culture, and my community were my source of strength." — Professor Misty Jenkins AO [09:07]

"We need people who can do the science, but we also need people who will shape the science, who will challenge it when it needs to be challenged, and make sure decisions leave something better for those who come after us." — Associate Professor Azure Hermes [24:32]

"Science on Country is not about choosing between Indigenous knowledge and modern STEM; it's about recognizing how these knowledge systems can ask powerful questions and contribute to each other." — Professor Misty Jenkins AO [42:29]

Useful Links

• STELR Program: ATSE’s national STEM education initiative – www.stelr.org.au
• ATSE (Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering): www.atse.org.au
• National Center for Indigenous Genomics (NCIG): ncig.anu.edu.au

Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-L5trG4zIk