Wes Markofski, 
Assistant Professor of Sociology, has received a major grant for his new research project, “Protecting Sacred Waters: Mobilizing Indigenous and Western Meanings of Science and Spirituality in the Battle over Line 3.” The project is part of a re-granting initiative originating at Rice University (Elaine Howard Ecklund) and the University of California, San Diego (John H. Evans), “The Sociology of Science and Religion: Identity and Belief Formation,” funded by the Templeton Religion Trust.
The grant will enable Prof. Markofski and his undergraduate research assistants to advance understanding of how scientific and spiritual beliefs guide social action. Specifically, Prof. Markofski and undergraduate researchers will observe participants, conduct interviews, and analyze digital content related to the ongoing resistance movement of American Indian activists and allies against the construction of an oil pipeline through Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) territory in northern Minnesota.