Session Highlights from the AISES National Conference

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Here is another preview of a few of the sessions that will be part of the AISES National Conference lineup this year! Keep a lookout for more Session Highlights coming your way and get ready for Minneapolis!

Session Track: Pre-College
Session Title: Medical and Pharmacy School: How can I prepare for these programs?
Presenter: Jenna Vater, Health Professions Educator, Illinois

“Considering a career in medicine or pharmacy?  Come to this session to learn about how to prepare for these professional programs.  Special emphasis will be given to the Native American Pathways Program which is housed in the National Center for Rural Health Professions (NCRHP) of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford. This program aims to recruit, support, and graduate Native American students who want to become healthcare professionals in rural tribal communities.”

Session Track: College
Session Title: How to Be a Successful AISES Chapter
Presenter: Lead by Crystal Tulley-Cordova, AISES Sr. National Rep and AISES Student Reps.

“Every chapter would like to be successful.  In this session Regional and National Student Representatives will share experiences and suggestions for chapter leadership succession planning, proposal writing, and ideas for how to recruit new members and/or reactive old members.   This will be an interactive session and the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions, share ideas, experiences, and suggestions, and role play different scenarios.”

Session Track: Professional
Session Title: Weaving Traditional Ecological Knowledge into Science K-12 Classrooms
Presenter: Jennifer Stadum, Indian Education for All Implementation Specialist, Montana

“Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is a powerful tool for teaching tribally and geographically specific information in K-12 science classes. Integration of TEK highlights the importance of teaching other ways of understanding our world that are as valid as Western science, serving different yet equally as important purposes. Culturally relevant pedagogy will be modeled and will be used to illustrate how to engage students in the tribally specific context of the Montana Salish seasonal round.”

Session Track: Partner
Session Title: Military Veteran Retention in STEM – The capstone of your Native American recruiting program
Presenters: Matthew Brogdon, Senior Director of Consulting Services, California

“This workshop serves to highlight the importance of military veteran retention in corporate America’s diversity recruiting strategies. Retention is a leg of the recruiting “stool” – employee marketing and recruiting being the other two legs - that is often much shorter than it should be.  Diversity is a powerful force in employer branding and marketing as well as corporate recruiting strategies, but many organizations forget that their work is only half done once they bring Native American military veteran employees on board.  This workshop will discuss onboarding and mentorship programs, employee resource groups, and professional development strategies for retaining Native American military veterans as part of the overall STEM corporate talent acquisition strategy.”

Session Track: General
Session Title: Zombie Autopsy and Emergency Preparedness
Presenter: Deneen L. Hernandez, FBI Laboratory, Virginia

“Although zombies do NOT exist, they serve as a fun, pop cultural model that allows us to talk about disease and the spread of disease. Many television shows and movies have zombies as a part of the storyline, so they will serve as a way to engage students as they are introduced to the concepts of disease and the patterns and parameters that are characteristic of the spread of disease.  This also allows the opportunity to plan for emergencies.  Identifying supplies, medical necessities and what is considered a necessity versus a luxury.  Lastly, these unfortunate events also allow the general public to learn about the important and necessary PPE that every first responder, emergency personnel and law enforcement officer need to know.
As a result, students will:

• Interpret graphs to make predictions.
• Use simulations to understand the symptoms of a fictional disease and see how the disease moves through a population.
• Have a plan in the event of an emergency that affects their family or community.
• Use simulation to understand the essentials needed in an emergency situation, i.e. food, water, med supplies, batteries and how to prepare a kit.

Learn about personal safety for the laboratory, first responders and emergency personnel that can serve Indian Country."