By Serena Broome
“People of all walks of life are coming together to restore, conserve, and protect me for seven generations to come”.
—The Voice of the River in Zibi Yajdan: The River Tells It
The Kalamazoo River stretches for miles. Sparkling and rippling emerald waters, pierced with the stalks of wild rice, have provided a sanctuary for life. For the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi, the river is their creation story. A thousand years ago, their ancestors traveled west from the Atlantic Coast, following the prophecy of their tribe to find “the place where food grows on water”. They were led to the wild rice of the Kalamazoo River. However, the bucolic scenery belies a more troubling picture. Human development over the years has resulted in the degradation of the river, especially the dwindling of wild rice (mnomen). The destruction of the river risks the loss of thousands of years of culture, history, and life.
Addressing the threat posed to the Kalamazoo river requires a holistic approach, one which Abigail E. Cahill has steadfastly pursued in her work. Her research project Mnomen (wild rice) and Mussels: Integrating Multiple Perspectives to Study River Ecosystems contributes to the restoration of the Kalamazoo River. The project, as described in the Inaugural Norman G. Pauling Research Fellowship announcement, “focuses on the ecological and cultural significance of wild rice (mnomen) in the Great Lakes region, integrating scientific and indigenous knowledge to explore the health of aquatic ecosystems, particularly the relationships between wild rice and freshwater mussels.” For this important work, Cahill was selected as one of four inaugural recipients of the Norman G. Pauling Research Fellowship for Early-Career Scholars by the Phi Beta Kappa Society. The fellowship seeks to recognize scholars “whose work exemplifies the critical role of the liberal arts and sciences as a public good,” ΦBK explained in a press release.
As an Associate Professor of Biology at Albion College, Cahill aims to encourage collaboration between Albion faculty, staff, students, and the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi in her research project. The project grew out of a student’s senior honors thesis from 2021, Cahill explained. “Based on Jess Garcia-Lopez’s work, we have continued building our tribal partnership with the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi,” Cahill said. “The part of the project that is funded by the Pauling Fellowship was inspired by a combination of looking at Jess’s data in a new way (as we are preparing for a publication) and thinking about the patterns in light of my marine biology background and training. I saw a pattern that makes sense in marine systems but that hasn’t been extensively described in the freshwater habitat of the Kalamazoo River.”
Cahill elaborated on her community-based approach as follows:
“Since I am trained in western scientific methods, and am not Indigenous myself, my part of the project has been using western scientific knowledge (such as biodiversity indices and other statistics) to measure invertebrate communities and make inferences about river health. We have designed the study in collaboration with the NHBP, and ask questions that are of interest to the tribe. At the request of the tribe, we redesigned Jess’s sample collectors to be made of 3D-printed materials (including wood and corn-based PLA) and birch bark. The resulting collectors were given the Potawatomi name wigwasmkok (birch bark boxes) at a ceremony in 2023. We have compared them to our older plastic collectors, and although the results aren’t identical, the wigwasmkok work well at collecting invertebrates in the river.”
Her project underscores the value of a liberal arts and sciences education, Cahill explained:
“For me, a liberal arts education relies on understanding the world through a complicated, multidisciplinary framework, based heavily in reading and thinking. I don’t just approach science with my STEM training; I bring my background as a reader, a writer, a speaker of languages, a person who tries to understand culture. This shapes my approach to research without a lot of conscious thought! I have always been the sort of person who carries books everywhere just in case, and reading broadly has made me prepared for opportunities that arise. In this collaboration with the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, I realized quickly that I’m out of my depth in different ways, so I rely heavily on my colleagues in the anthropology department for suggestions about cross-cultural communication and for background reading. My liberal arts background and training have prepared me to challenge myself and to be open to a new kind of collaboration.”
Through her commitment to a multidisciplinary approach fostered by a liberal arts and sciences education, Cahill includes all stakeholders necessary for environmental stewardship of the Kalamazoo River. She demonstrates in her work that disciplines cannot be isolated; environmental issues require insight beyond the technical fields. Her project, ringing with the voices of many, mobilizes the community to preserve the river.
Please read more about Phi Beta Kappa’s Norman G. Pauling Research Fellowship for Early-Career Scholars here.
Mark your calendars for December 5, 2025! The Pauling fellows will be presenting their scholarship at Phi Beta Kappa’s 250th anniversary celebration.
Serena Broome graduated early from UC Davis majoring in political science. She inducted into Phi Beta Kappa during her junior year. UC Davis is home to the Kappa of California chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.