Aspen Omapang

Aspen K.B. Omapang is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Justice and Technology within the Information Science Department at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her research focuses on Indigenous-settler political relations, environmental regulations, and political participation.

Primarily, Aspen's work centers and takes place on Moku o Keawe, Hawaiʻi Island. Aspen is a descendant of five generations of Filipino Kamaʻāina who continue to live in Kohala. Within her work, Aspen partners with community leaders, Native Hawaiian-led non-profits, and environmental advocacy coalitions across West Hawaiʻi Island. Her work spans analyzing public comments archives, on-the-ground observation of regulatory processes, and interviews with traditional knowledge practitioners and advocates.

Aspen is a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's Minority Ph.D. Fellowship, NSF LEAP Alliance Fellowship, and is a Bouchet Graduate Honor Society member. Aspen completed her Ph.D. in Information Science (minor in Science and Technology Studies) at Cornell University, and her B.S. in Computer Science (minor in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies) at American University.