The Annual AISES National Conference is a one-of-kind, three-day event focusing on educational, professional and workforce development. Attendees include American Indian high school and college students, educators, professionals; tribal nations, tribal enterprises, universities, corporations, and government agencies. The AISES National conference has become the premier event for American Indian Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) students and professionals attracting over 1,800 attendees from across the country.
Highlights Include:
The 2014 National Conference was held in Orlando, Florida, and the 2015 National Conference washeld in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2016, the National Conference will take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where we anticipate 2,000 participants! The 2015 National Conference had a 51% increase in professional participation, a 15% increase in college students, a 93% percent increase in high school participation and a 30% increase in overall participation compared to 2014.
Professionals 278
College Students 587
High School Students & Chaperones 267
Educators & Judges 76
Exhibitors/Sponsors 562
Speakers 41
Other 4
Total 1,815
Professionals 184
College Students 509
High School Students & Chaperones 138
Educators & Judges 61
Exhibitors/Sponsors 438
Speakers 58
Other 3
Total 1,391
2014 & 2015 Location: Santa Ana Pueblo in New Mexico
(2016 Location: IBM and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN)
Number of Participants in Each Summit: 200
The major focus of the annual Leadership Summit is to improve the skills and aptitude levels of AISES members in leadership and career development in order to better prepare them to attain careers in STEM fields. The summit provides Native American college and graduate students as well as professional members with in-depth leadership and professional development workshops and networking opportunities. Multiple sessions engage participants in topics like Maintaining Your Cultural Identity in STEM, Change Management: Managing Personal Change, and Bridging Native Tradition within STEM. The Leadership Summit also offers networking opportunities for early to mid-career level professionals and Native American students in STEM and fosters the matching of professionals with students for mentoring. We know that building peer support networks and providing positive role models, mentors, and career development programs have
AISES’ Regional Conferences take place every spring and provide an opportunity for AISES College and Professional Chapters to gather and share information, form partnerships, and to network with each other and with selected presenters and partners. Each regional conference has a number of informative sessions and activities for both college and high school students. Among the activities provided are mini career fairs, poster presentations, and engineering competitions. Generally, each Regional Conference host develops a theme or focus area for the Regional Conference (environmental, bridging native cultures with science, etc.). Local and national professionals within a variety of fields provide workshops, seminars, and discussion groups about a wide variety of topics.
AISES’ student representatives and the host chapters for the following year are selected during the regional conferences. Chapters interested in hosting the regional conference indicate their interest in hosting and make a presentation regarding their resources, planning, and ability to host the conference. Each college chapter in “Good Standing” is allowed one vote; the majority of votes determines the location of the regional conference.
Region 1- University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (shared region 1 & 3)
Region 2- Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
Region 3- University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Region 4- Northeastern State University, Talequah, OK
Region 5- South Dakota School of Mines, Rapid City, SD
Region 6- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Region 1- Montana Tech University, Butte, MT
Region 2- University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI
Region 3- Ft. Lewis College, Durango, CO
Region 4- University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
Region 5- University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN
Region 7- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
In addition to programming for students and professionals, AISES also engages in strategic partnerships, projects and research that support our mission. Here is a small snapshot of just some of those partnerships and programs from 2014 and 2015:
In 2015, the Comcast Foundation awarded AISES support to produce two PSAs to educate the public about the importance of its mission. The Foundation also committed to providing $1.5 million in airtime in 2016 to air the PSAs. The PSAs are designed to convey how, through our work at AISES, intergenerational traditional Native American cultural knowledge is woven together with new ideas to generate innovative technology, ideas and people that create a better world for everyone. The PSAs will run in multiple markets on multiple channels in early and late 2016 and can also be viewed on the AISES website.
This project is an empirical research study using a resiliency-based framework to investigate the factors that contribute to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI-AN) success and achievement in STEM education and careers. The focus is on what makes people successful rather than what makes them fail. It was developed through a partnership between the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), the Office for Community Health (OCH) at the University of New Mexico (UNM), and Northwestern University. The aim of this research is to identify the role of culture, individual identity, epistemology and bi-cultural efficacy in this process. This information is particularly salient in the face of the continuing stagnation of AI-AN STEM graduation rates and the ongoing need for expansion and equity in the STEM pipeline that has been identified as a national priority. The project utilizes AISES historical American Indian STEM data collected over its almost 40 year existence and will be completed in 2016 at which time AISES will begin the process of creating a database to house the data and make it available to key stakeholders.
Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and in partnership with Great Minds in STEM (GMiS), Latinos in Science and Engineering (MAES), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Advancing Chicano/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and Society of Women Engineers (SWE), AISES is working to support Native Americans who are early-career faculty, graduate students, and post-doctoral professionals in any field of engineering. The overall focus of the project is to support those who are traditionally underrepresented in engineering fields.
AISES, in partnership with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the preeminent engineering professional societies focused on diversity and inclusion, and who collectively serve more than 75,000 pre-collegiate, collegiate and professional members, formed the 50K Coalition. The Coalition is working toward a singular goal: to increase the annual number of engineering bachelor’s degrees awarded to underrepresented minorities and women from 30,000 to 50,000 by 2025 – a 66 percent increase. The Coalition intends to achieve this goal by collecting and monitoring plans generated by Coalition partners to achieve this strategic goal and by measuring, monitoring and reporting on key indicators, including the number of women and underrepresented minorities qualified to enter the engineering pipeline and the number earning engineering degrees. The 50K Coalition was created in 2015 and will continue its work to 2025.
The Minorities in Energy Initiative addresses the needs of underrepresented communities in the energy sector and is focused on engaging more Americans in energy and science, technology, engineering, and math fields. The Initiative, guided by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, seeks to create a substantive, sustainable model that connects diverse stakeholders together to address challenges and opportunities for minority engagement in energy economic participation, STEM education, and climate change. The Ambassadors of the Initiative are key leaders in industry, government, academia, and nonprofits who are committed to lending their voices and vision to inform and inspire Americans about the critical need for greater diversity in STEM professions, energy entrepreneurship, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. AISES CEO, Sarah EchoHawk, serves as an Ambassador for the initiative.
Number of K-12 Native American Students Directly Served in 2014 - 2015: 2,404
Number of High School Affiliate Chapters: 155
AISES engages in a multitude of programs and events to ensure students are given exposure to quality science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programming. These experiences and opportunities support students in discovering, pursuing, and sustaining their interest in STEM as they prepare for their college careers and beyond.
Specific Programming in 2014 – 2015:
Virtual Science Fair Competition • Energy Challenge Competition • Power-Up Workshops for Students, Parents and Educators • Science Bowl Competitions • Robotics Programming for Schools • Research and Poster Presentations and Competitions • College Fair
Number of College and Graduate Native American Students Directly Served in 2014 - 2015: 3,114
Number of College Chapters: 180
AISES administers many programs, services and events for college and graduate students that are designed to increase their access to college and support their success during their college and graduate STEM studies to prepare them for career opportunities in STEM fields.
Specific Programming in 2014 – 2015:
Scholarship Funding for STEM Majors • Internships in STEM Fields with Corporations and Government Agencies • Fellowships (NSF Lighting the Pathways Program) • Research and Poster Presentations Competitions • Professional Mentorship • College Chapters • Regional Conferences • College and Career Fair
Number of Native American Professionals Directly Served in 2014 - 2015: 2,437
Number of Professional Chapters: 15
AISES is dedicated to supporting its professional members in STEM, supporting early, mid and executive professionals in STEM fields through professional development, career opportunities, networking and opportunities to mentor and support students in STEM.
Specific Programming in 2014 – 2015:
Mentoring of Students • Scholarship Reviewing and Scoring • Research and Science Fair Judging • Serving as Speakers and Trainers at AISES Events • Corporate Advisory Council • Government Relations Council • Professional Chapter Council • Academic Advisory Council • Professional Development Programming • Career Fair • Professional of Year Awards
The Ely S. Parker Award is the highest honor bestowed by AISES, given in honor of the first recognized American Indian scientist/engineer. Parker made many civil engineering contributions and was a Chief of the Seneca and a Union Army General. The purpose of the award is to recognize those leaders who most clearly embody AISES’ mission and goals through their achievements and contributions to science, technology, engineering, and math.
1983 - A T (Andy) Anderson, Chemical Engineering (Seneca) - Awarded Posthumously
1984 - Phil Stevens, Engineering (Oglala Sioux)
1985 - Mary Ross, Mathematics & Aerospace Engineering (Cherokee)
1986 - Al Qöyawayma, Mechanical Engineering (Hopi)
1987 - Phil Lane Sr., Civil Engineering (Yankton Sioux)
1988 - Tom Dawson, Electrical Engineering (Cherokee)
1988 - Don Ridley, Aerospace Engineering (Shoshone)
1989 - Dr. Lois Steele, Medicine (Assiniboine)
1990 - Dr. George Blue Spruce, Dentist (Pueblo)
1992 - Fred Begay, Ph.D., Physics (Navajo)
1993 - Dr. Taylor MacKenzie, Medicine (Navajo)
1994 - Dwight Gourneau, Electrical Engineering & Physics (Chippewa)
1995 - Cliff Poodry, Ph.D., Biology (Seneca)
1996 - Fred Cooper, Ph.D., Civil Engineering (Shoalwater Bay)
1997 - Jane Mt. Pleasant, Ph.D., Agronomy & Soil Science (Tuscarora)
1998 - Dick French, Forestry (Yakama) - Awarded Posthumously
1999 - Robert Megginson, Ph.D., Mathematics (Lakota)
2000 - Jim May, Ph.D., Engineering/Business/ Library Science (Cherokee)
2001 - Carolyn Elgin, Ed.D., Educator (Choctaw)
2002 - Dr. Judith Kaur, Medicine (Choctaw/ Cherokee)
2003 - Carole Gardipe, Geology, (Penobscot)
2004 - Jerry Elliott, Physics, (Osage/Cherokee)
2005 - George Thomas, Engineering, (Cherokee)
2007 - Governor Joseph Garcia (Ohkay Owingeh)
2008 - Norbert S. Hill Jr. (Oneida)
2009 - Sandra Begay-Campbell (Navajo)
2010 - Dr. Robert Whitman (Navajo)
2011 - Everett Chavez (Kewa Pueblo)
2012 - Dr. Henrietta Mann (Cheyenne)
2013 - Bessie Newman Spicer (Navajo)
2014 - Dr. Jason Younker (Coquille)
2015 - Dr. Bret Benally-Thompson (White Earth Band of Ojibwe)
In recognition of the significant contributions American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians,
Pacific Islanders, First Nations and other indigenous peoples of North America, have made to the
STEM disciplines, AISES conducts the Professional Awards Program. Each year, AISES produces a short video highlighting the accomplishments of each category winner. The videos are shown during the awards banquet at the AISES National Conference where each winner receives an engraved Nambé Silver Eagle award.
Overall Professional of the Year Award
Pat Gwin (Cherokee) Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma
Executive Excellent Award
Melvin L. Yawakie (Pueblo of Zuni), Turtle Island Communications, Inc.
Technical Excellence Award
Sarah Lauff (Shawnee) SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific
Most Promising Engineer or Scientist Award
Franklin Dollar (Dry Creek Band of Pomo Indians) University of California Irvine
Overall Professional of the Year Award
Dr. Andre Dominic Cropper (Kalinago Carib), Raytheon
Executive Excellent Award
Mike Laverdure (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa), DSGW Architects / First American Design Studio
Technical Excellence Award
Joseph W. Connolly (Onondaga - Six Nations Reserve of the Grand River), NASA Glenn Research Center
Most Promising Engineer or Scientist Award
Mitchell Martin (Cherokee), Raytheon Corporation
Supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the “Pathways” program focus is to increase the representation of Native Americans in STEM faculty positions in higher education through the creation and support of an intergenerational community of undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and junior and senior faculty members.
Angelita Bearquiver
Rene Begay
Rebecca Buckman
Katherine Crocker
Joshua Danny
Megan Dunn
Devin Etcitty
Amber Eule-Nashoba
Bradley Ganoe
Jennifer Graham
Ariel Helms
Kelsea Hosoda
Carrie Joseph
Nicole Kenote
Sandra Kjono
Janie Locklear
Jacinda Mainord
Jack Martin
Alexander McGirt
Na’ta’ne Miles
Jocelyn Painter
Keith Parker
Anthony Parson
Mackenzie Pearson
Jesse Peltier
Darryl Reano
Biidaaban Reinhardt
Joshua Thomas
Ranalda Tsosie
Crystal Tulley-Cordova
Chad Auginash
Shanadeen Begay
Johnny Buck
Katrina Claw
Jesse Gibson
Ciarra Greene
Candice Guy
Megan Kiedrowski
Naomi Lee
Rebekah Lester
Kristen Lycett
Phillip Medina IV
Jordan Oshiro
Ulali Phillip
Canek Phillips
Dylan Suvlu
Nizhone Talker
Scott Tan
Henrietta Tsosie
Delbert Willie
Supported by: National Science Foundation (NSF) ASSIST Project
Grace Bulltail
Ronson Chee
Karletta Chief
Nizhoni Chow-Garcia
Joshua Gosney
Thomas Jung
Melanie Quiver
Drew Williams
Caleb Teague
Erica Herman
Kara Roanhorse
Victoria Garcia
Zoee St. Claire
Cera Hassinan
Hannah Wright
Raquel Redshirt
Brianna Bahe
Jennifer Martin
Makai Mann
Drew Williams
Mason Grimshaw
Branden Heid
Kayla Orndorff
Tristan Brown
Logan Washbourne
Blake Macqueen
Charlie Carlson
Delbert Willie
Dianne Numkena
Jarod White
Katherine Huffman
Kyle Mann
Sandra Kjono
Josh Kant-wood
Sean Milanovich
Ingrid Robinson
Susan Rosales
Chris Soltero
Koda Wilson
Alec White
Brandon Bass
David Hayden
Demerson
Harrison Kurtz
John Holland
Lonny Strunk
Robert Boling
Supported by: AMB Foundation, Bert and Candice Forbes, Chevron, The Boeing Company, Chata Petroteum, Chrysler, Helen Roberti Charitable Trust, Denny and Merrily Parker, ExxonMobil, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rosemary Shafer, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, and individual supporters.
Daryl Conko Camel
Lindsey Montileaux
Sheilah Allison
Aaron Cate
Nicole Kenote
Raymond Kangas
Leslie Nelson
Matt Robertson
Henry Ware
Seth Young
Rene Begay
Selma Brewer
Shanice Britton
Tyler Dann
Stephanie Emery
Delphine Feigenbaum
Brandon Frederick
Cody Autumn Grogan
Ariel Helms
Hayden Holmes
Hailey Jackson-Miller
Abby Jessell
Sylvester Moses
Krystal Nelson
Keith Parker
Mackenzie Pearson
Adriana Perrusquia
Annabeth Pruett
Ivan Rajen
Biidaaban Reinhardt
Samuel Robertson
Justin Sanders
Makenna Smith
Narae Wadsworth
Clayton Wauneka
Ted Williams
Jacob Wilcox
Tyler Nichols
Stacie Anderson
Jeffery Calhoun
Andrew Cloud
Jocelyn Ely
Damon Howard
John Hunter
Sandra Kjono
Phillip Medina IV
Dalton Montileaux
Robyn Pailzote
Crystal Tulley-Cordova
Kaci Hokett
Justin Irvine
Riley Baker
Samuel Fulton
Garrett Gilmore
Sheldon Hair
Luke Gibson
Nizhone Talker
Katherine Huffman
Michael Berger
Seth Burger
Ryan Caldwell
David Demerson
Joshua Phipps
Gabriella Alden
Emily Williams
Amberly Proctor
Garlena Tavai-Fiatoa
Aaron Abeita
Roxanne Benally
Meredith Berthelson
Debra Big Back
Sheridan Evans
Jessica Foster
Amy Irons
Elizabeth Locklear
Danica Martin
Erica Poe
Shawn Poe
Neilroy Singer
Daven Tagaban
Morgan Thomas
Supported by: Arizona Public Service (APS), Chahta Petroleum, Chevron, Denny and Merrily Parker, DuPont, ExxonMobil, Helen Roberti Charitable Trust, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Nancy and Lawrence Gutstein, Praxiar, Oracle, Rosemary Schaefer, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux, Tourism/Vancouver, Verizon, and Individual Supporters
Krystal Charley
Kyra Yazzie
Neilroy Singer
Bo Delgarito
Natalie Holyan
Yanabah Jaques
Julian Benavidez
Crystal Tulley-Cordova
Quinn Benally
Raymond Kangas
Matt Robertson
Russell Felicia
Steven Davis
Matthew Hale
Jalando Edison
Justine Kimmi
Shayla Newbrough
Laine Begay
Lindsay Holiday
Sebastian Subola
Michael Trombley
Abby Jessel
Kaitlyn Mulkey
Kacey Chopito
Chad Auginash
Zane Irvine
Quinn Martinez
Thaddeus Smith
Israel Hernandez
Gavin DeWilde
Mason Caperton
Calvin Silas
Hannah Dorough
Everett Noblin
Emily Hancock
Annabeth Pruett
Erica Poe
Blake Yort
Drew Williams
Samantha Brown
Ted Williams
Riley Askew
Edwin Jones
Hannah White
Holly Burk
Hayden Holmes
Sam Robertson
Christy Kingfisher
Kathryn Waters
Spencer Foust
Luke Baumann
Katheryn Wesley
Hannah Landreth
Shawna Wedde
Brandon Frederick
John Gray
Lucas Tyree
Jeffrey Ross
Robyn Emery
Bradley Orndorff
Rourke Nakai
Levi Lange
Supported by: AMB Foundation, Google, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, San Manual Band of Mission Indians, Bayer Foundation, CHS Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, General Motors, Kellogg’s, and U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service
Aaron Abeita
Alyx Ladd
Eva Carl
Gabe Sheoships
Jonathan Forrest
Malcolm
Keith Parker
Pah-tu Pitt
Patrick Feller
William Culver III
Jason Slats
Danica Martin
Shelbie Shelder
Chase Voirin
Chris StandingRock
Jessica Lackey
Lisa Cook
Angela Hernandez
Brennan A. Waupoose
Kaitlan H. Lyons
Sarah L. Boushie
Brandon M. Frederick
Jeffrey C. Ross
Dara R. Jerome
Darrin R. Frederick, Jr.
Dianne R. Numkena
Jack Martin
Jason L. Slats
Kory M. F. Joe
Martin J. Manuel
Neilroy Singer
Sheldon R. Hair
Supported by: NASA, San Manual Band of Mission Indians, Xerox, 3M, American Chemical Society, Bank of America, Bayer Foundation, The Boeing Company, CHS Foundation, Eaton, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, General Motors, Kellogg’s, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service
Delbert Willie
Mika Boyd
Millie Bigler
Paul Nepine
Cody Machida
Kirsch Davis
Eric Begody
Rafael Joey Tapaha
Phillip Medina IV
Raquel Auwae
Shivanna Johnson
Blake Yort
Chad Auginash
Hayden Hedman
Sandra Kjono
Supported by: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Bonneville Power Administration, Northrop Grumman, and U.S. Department of Agriculture - Food Safety and Inspection Service
Gabrielle Lucero
Carlos Vigil
Micah Mann
Moses Nagurski
Treyjan Felipe
Joey Tapaha
Angelita Bearquiver
Danica Martin
Keith Parker
Lucas Lanham
Stephanie Emery
Devi Holiday
Leslie Nelson
Mercedes Brown
Sichangu Lee
AISES’ Winds of Change is the premier nationally distributed magazine published with a single-minded focus on career and educational advancement for American Indians/Alaska Natives/Native Hawaiians/First Nations, with an emphasis on STEM. Published five times a year by AISES, four print issues and one digital-only issue, Winds of Change print issues are now also available as digital editions. The digital editions offer readers the option of accessing each issue of the magazine online at any time throughout the year.
In 2016, Winds of Change is introducing a new monthly newsletter, Pathways. The Pathways newsletter will provide timely information for continued growth and success in STEM education and careers for Native Americans. Every issue includes in-depth coverage of a career development topic for members, from pre-college to mature professional. Pathways also provides current information from the AISES family on timely topics and upcoming events.
Highlights include:
With a print distribution of more than 6,000, and an email distribution that exceeds 12,500 to students, professionals, supporters, universities, and commercial and government businesses, Winds of Change remains unsurpassed in its commitment and ability to reach a broad spectrum of rural and urban American Indians/Alaska Natives/Native Hawaiians/First Nations. Readers anticipate arrival of the magazine for career and educational opportunities, for inspiration and motivation, and for information about and for Native people and their careers.
Winds of Change is also a valuable recruitment tool for corporations, government agencies, tribal and non-tribal businesses, and colleges and universities across the U.S. The editorial focus of this dynamically redesigned magazine honors tradition while exploring topics in STEM fields as well as health, education, business, and culture.
To submit a story or story idea to Winds of Change, please contact Winds of Change Editor, Karen English at kenglish@pohlyco.com/ (617) 872-3395. To advertise, contact Candace McDonough at cmcdonough@pohlyco.com / (617) 969-2137. For advertising materials, contact Gina White at windsofchange@pohlyco.com / (781) 479-2346.
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Albuquerque, NM 87106
Phone: (505) 765-1052
Fax: +1 (505) 765-5608
www.aises.org
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