LaPier appointed to National Museum in D.C.

Rosalyn LaPier, assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of Montana, recently was appointed a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

            Research associates are senior experts in their field who maintain a formal scholarly affiliation and academic appointment with the Smithsonian. They are given access to Smithsonian collections and facilities. In exchange, LaPier will bring her own outside expertise and knowledge to the Smithsonian, which includes more than 25 years of experience working with Blackfeet elders researching ethobotany and traditional ecological knowledge.

The appointment will last at least three years and may be renewed.

            “Academic appointments at the Smithsonian afford the opportunity for learning, study and research through our unparalleled collections, experts and facilities,” said Eric Woodard, Smithsonian director of fellowships and internships.

            LaPier also has worked to revitalize and preserve Native American languages the past 25 years. She will continue her research on ethobotany, traditional ecological knowledge and Blackfeet religious beliefs of nature and the environment at the Smithsonian and within traditional Blackfeet territory in the U.S. and Canada.

JoAllyn Archambault, National Museum of Natural History American Indian director, nominated LaPier for the appointment. NMNH Director Kirk Johnson and Acting Associate Director for Science Richard Vari confirmed the appointment. 

LaPier holds a doctorate degree in history from UM. She is one of four Native American professors at a research university in the U.S. in an environmental studies/sciences department. She is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe and also is Métis.