The Canadian Light Source has launched a research experience built with reconciliation in mind for high school, adult basic education and undergraduate students.

The Bison Project integrates Traditional Knowledge and western science for First Nation, Metis and Inuit students. The project aims to reclaim and preserve historical contributions of First Nations, Metis and Inuit Women towards saving bison from extinction through a holistic learning approach, with knowledge exchange and project based learning.

The CLS beam-lines will be used to analyze mailed in bison hair and grazing soil samples, in multi-year projects with student determined research.  Students themselves will get to gather land based samples, research timeline development and perform CLS beam-line experiments to explore elemental mapping of the bison hair and grazing soil.

The Bison Project will then generate a collection of cultural expression resources in order to keep traditional knowledge alive through oral tradition.