About this Event
As part of REIMAGINE SPACE: NEW MEXICO, SciArt Santa Fe and STEMarts Lab are partnering to present a special Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous (LASER) Talk exploring space through Indigenous knowledge, science, engineering, art, and culture.
SciArt Santa Fe and STEMarts Lab will present Diné engineer-scientist Dr. Alvin D. Harvey at the Institute of American Indian Arts on October 8th.
We Share the Stars – Indigenous Science and Engineering in the Space Age
Speaker: Dr. Alvin D. Harvey (Diné), affiliated researcher at the MIT Media Lab
Location: Institute of American Indian Arts, 83 Avan Nu Po Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Date: October 8, 2026
Time: 3:30PM
Talk Synopsis: Outer space is of unbounded value to the people of Earth. Thinking beyond the notion of resources and instead thinking of outer space as filled with relatives, this talk will center the cosmos as a uniting pillar of relationships. The tools, methods, and processes of Indigenous Knowledge Systems inform scientific and engineering pathways to building and sustaining a wise and healthy future with outer space. Join Dr. Alvin D. Harvey (Diné) in an exploration and conversation on weaving Indigenous and Western STEAM knowledges for the better caretaking of the united Earth and space environments.
About Dr. Alvin D. Harvey
Shí éí Alvin D. Harvey yinishyé. Tó baazhni’ázhi nishłį́. Honágháahnii bashishchiin. Dághaałchííʼ dashicheii. Kiyaa’áanii dashinalí.
My name is Alvin D. Harvey. I am Diné—a citizen of the Navajo Nation—of the Two-Who-Came-to-the-Water Clan, and I am born for the One-Walks-Around Clan. My maternal grandfather is of Irish descent, and my paternal grandfather is of the Towering House Clan. was born and raised in the Navajo Nation and New Mexico. I currently reside in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where I am an affiliated researcher at the MIT Media Lab, and in Aztec, New Mexico, on my family’s farm. As an engineer-scientist, my research focuses on centering Indigenous Knowledge Systems as essential to making space engineering and science wise, balanced, and innovative.
My background includes farming, ranching, bioastronautics, systems engineering, satellite engineering, emergency medicine, astrobiology, astronomy, and Indigenous Research Methodologies and Methods. Most of all, I am proud to be a continuous learner of my people’s language and lifeways and to share the journey of STEAM education with Indigenous youth around the globe.
The Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous program creates informal public exchanges among artists, scientists, engineers, humanists, and communities. These two LASER Talks extend that vision by bringing Indigenous knowledge and international artistic perspectives into conversations about space exploration and humanity’s collective future.
Presented as part of REIMAGINE SPACE: NEW MEXICO, the talks reflect STEMarts Lab’s commitment to creating opportunities for youth and communities to engage with space through art, science, technology, and culture.
Join us as we ask not only how humanity will travel farther into space, but how we can move forward with greater imagination, wisdom, cultural awareness, and responsibility.
SciArt Santa Fe supports the powerful exchange of ideas between the arts and sciences, encourages freedom of thought and imagination across disciplines, advances scientific and artistic literacy, and celebrates diverse perspectives.
STEMarts Lab empowers youth—particularly in rural and underserved communities—to become creative leaders through hands-on experiences at the intersection of art, science, and technology.
This event is free and accessible to all. If you need more information, contact [email protected] with questions related to access and accommodation.
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Event venue & nearby stays
Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), 83 A Van Nu Po, Santa Fe, United States
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