Coyote Science premieres February 11 on APTN East and HD at 10:30 a.m. ET, on APTN West at 10:30 a.m. MT and on APTN North at 10:30 a.m. CT.
Coyote’s Crazy Smart Science Show, is a new and original APTN 13-part, adventures-in- science series. In each half-hour show, a team of student scientists – Science Questers – tries to solve a riddle posed by Coyote. They conduct their own investigations, talk with indigenous scientists and elders, and discover amazing indigenous science and technology achievements from a real astronaut, Commander John Herrington. Along the way they encounter Kai, a hacker, and celebrity performers such as Kinnie Starr, Dani and Lizzy and rapper Ostwelve.
Series creator Loretta Sarah Todd, of Coyote Science Inc., says Indigenous science is important to the future of young Indigenous people: “We want our youth to see that science is cool and that Indigenous science is part of our cultural knowledge.” says Ms. Todd. “And we do that by engaging them and encouraging them to be curious and explore ways of finding answers, and to learn from Indigenous scientists, Elders and role models.” She adds, “The world needs Indigenous science and our scientists.”
Commander John Herrington, the first Indigenous astronaut to walk in space, appears in every episode, showcasing some of the astonishing STEM achievements of Indigenous people – from the complex and precise architecture of Machu Picchu, to the 10 mile long observatory in Chaco Canyon, and the practice of nixtamalization, a chemical process that increases the nutritional value of corn, developed over 2000 years ago.
“To get kids have more fun with science, we’ve also created a website, game and Youtube channel. They let young people use knowledge to fix a world out of balance, and post their own hacks and experiments. This is science for the YouTube generation.”
The website and game are at www.coyotescience.com .
About Loretta Todd, President of Coyote Science Inc.
Loretta Sarah Todd is an amateur science geek who wants to see more indigenous people and ideas in science. She is also an internationally acclaimed, award-winning filmmaker, known for powerful, visual storytelling and cultural leadership. She’s had screenings at the Sundance Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, ImagineNative, the American Indian Film Festival (AIFF) in San Francisco, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She has won a Rockefeller Fellowship; attended the Sundance Scriptwriter’s Lab, and won a Vancouver Mayor’s Award for Media Arts. Other creations include Tansi! Nehiyawetan, an award-winning children’s television show that teaches Cree; MyCree, conversational Cree smartphone app, and Sky and Chang, a sci-fi martial arts pilot for a drama series, which won the Best ShortDrama Award at AIFF. She is now working on Fierce Girls, a transmedia co-production with New Zealand.
September 1, 2016, marked the 17-year anniversary of the launch of the first national Aboriginal television network in the world with programming by, for and about Aboriginal Peoples to share with all Canadians and viewers around the world. APTN is available in approximately 11 million Canadian households and commercial establishments with cable, direct-to-home satellite, telco- delivered and fixed wireless television service providers. The network launched its high definition channel, APTN HD, in the spring of 2008. APTN does not receive government funding for operations but generates revenue through subscriber fees, advertising sales and strategic partnerships. APTN broadcasts programming with 56% offered in English, 16% in French and 28% in Aboriginal languages. For program schedule or for more information, please contact APTN at (204) 947-9331 or toll-free at 1-888-278-8862 (Canada), or visit the website at www.aptn.ca
Media contact John Friesen 604-812-1332 Aoife Murphy email@example.com 778-317-3835
and Milena Salazar firstname.lastname@example.org
Coyote’s Crazy Smart Science Show is produced with the support of Aboriginal Peoples
Television Network, Canadian Media Fund – Aboriginal Program, Rogers Documentary and
Cable Network Fund, Creative BC, produced with the participation of the province of British
Columbia, Film Incentive BC and the Canadian Film or Video Tax Credit