“There’s a course in every engineering program called professional ethics and what’s missing from maybe 90 percent of them is the importance of Indigenous culture and the place itself,” said Dickinson. “Putting those ethics into the program is going to be one of my priorities before I finish my term as dean. I’d like to get things firmly embedded.”

As well, he would like to host a two-day workshop for the deans of Western Canada’s science and engineering programs. The first day would include touring at least one pit house in the region and analyzing it for its centuries-old engineering techniques, designs and principles. The second day would include brainstorming topics around incorporating Indigenous ways and knowledge and Indigenous-themed projects into the curriculum. Both days would include input and insight from elders, traditional knowledge keepers and scholars.