Tooth and fur samples can provide valuable information about an animal's diet, age, exposure to contaminants and reproductive history.
In 2025, Anguti Lundrigan, an Inuk chemical engineering student at the University of Alberta, worked with the NRC through the University of Alberta's I-STEAM Pathways program. This program uses an experiential learning style that approaches environmental research through the lens of Indigenous knowledge and experience.
During the program, Anguti combined his cultural knowledge and engineering skills in a unique hands-on learning opportunity at the NRC. In collaboration with Environment and Climate Change Canada, Anguti and his supervisor, Jennifer Bruce, studied polar bear teeth and fur samples. Using scanning electron microscopes, Anguti and Jennifer investigated these samples at the nanoscale level to better understand the ecological conditions important to polar bears.
"I was taught techniques on how to apply conductive coating to samples and identify the age of these bears," Anguti says. "The intention was to try to see if any biological markers could be identified using these techniques," he adds.
Anguti's experience with the I-STEAM Pathways program was eye-opening, showing him that academia and Indigenous identity can come together. The interdisciplinary learning model offered Anguti an opportunity to gain experience working in a research environment, while the focus on Indigenous knowledge allowed him to realize that this experience can be applied in ways that are deeply related to his cultural identity.
This connection is best illustrated by Anguti's first time going to the polar bear lab at the NRC.
"I noticed that one of the skulls they had on display came from my father's home community of Tuktoyaktuk. It was marked with not only the location and year that it was caught but also the name of the hunter who caught it. The bear was caught by an Elder my dad knew and looked up to as a boy. It was a full-circle moment for me, reminding me of home."
Learning that his Indigenous identity and his ambition to become an engineer can overlap was a turning point for Anguti. His experience with I-STEAM inspired him to integrate his cultural heritage with his engineering practice.
"I want to become someone that children from my home community can look up to."
The impact the I-STEAM Pathways program had on Anguti's learning experience was clear to the people around him, too. Jennifer recalls that Anguti was eager to contribute to what was going on around him. He shared not only bright ideas but also stories about encounters that his family members had with polar bears up North.
"It's always exciting working with someone at the beginning of their career journey, and being able to introduce a student to new instrumentation and projects renewed my own enthusiasm for the work we're doing," she says. "It was inspiring to see Anguti's enthusiasm for the work and the Indigenous connection to the project."