Dr. Sierra (Weigman) Brown is a Staff Scientist and Research Software Engineer at Million Concepts, LLC with a Ph.D. in Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences from Brown University. She obtained her B.S. in Geophysics and Geochemistry from SUNY Fredonia in 2016 and an M.S. in 2018. During her graduate studies, she focused on remote sensing and geochemical modeling of the Martian surface, and has continued to work on various NASA missions such as Curiosity, Perseverance, and VIPER.
As a member of the Shinnecock Nation, Dr. Brown combines western and indigenous knowledge through the practice of “Two-Eyed Seeing” to offer unique perspectives on environmental justice efforts for indigenous tribes. She is currently the Principal Investigator of a NASA Transform to Open Science Training grant called “Knowing the Sky: Building Open Science Skills through Native Knowledge Practices,” and has been recognized with the NASA Space Tech Catalyst Prize for supporting underrepresented groups in space technology development. Dr. Brown will be presenting a talk titled “From Planetary Geochemistry to Indigenous Environmental Policy: Charting Career Paths Across the Cosmos with Code” on Friday, April 5 at noon in Houghton Hall Room 025 at SUNY Fredonia, which is open to all interested individuals.
