Purdue University North Central will present a Social Sciences Colloquium with Dr. Kenneth Kincaid, assistant professor of History, speaking on "Invasive Species, Native Traditions and Resistance: Not Avatar! Ecuador in the Early Twentieth Century!" on March 31 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Technology Building, Room 134. 
The event is free and open to the public.
Kincaid explains his topic, "In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Ecuador's diverse landscapes were the testing grounds for numerous projects designed, on one hand, to exploit the natural riches of this small South American country and, on the other, to modernize the traditional custodians of these lands, Ecuador's Native American populations."
This colloquium will examine the initiatives undertaken by foreign and national interests as well as by regional and state governments. In particular, he will look at the introduction of exotic species, such as eucalyptus and trout into lake environs and the effects that these actions had on native flora and fauna. Native communities in Ecuador, like those in Avatar, challenged the potential loss of resources and sacred spaces and fought back.