The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that professio ...

with the goal of substantially increasing American Indian,

Alaskan Native Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a numb ...

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawa ...

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, First Nation and other indigenous peoples of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

representation in the fields of science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and other related disciplines. Its headquarters is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. , Sarah EchoHawk is the

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...

History

AISES was founded in 1977, by American Indian scientists:

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

scientist and

Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans * Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people * Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been ...

, Arnold Anderson, Al Qöyawayma, Carol Gardipe (

Penobscot The Penobscot (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewi'') are an Indigenous people in North America from the Northeastern Woodlands region. They are organized as a federally recognized tribe in Maine and as a First Nations band government in the Atlantic ...

), George Thomas (

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

), Jerry Elliott (Cherokee/Osage), Alex Labadie ( Osage) and Jim Shorty ( Navajo). Since its founding, the society has held the annual, three-day AISES National Conference, which includes the largest

job fair A job fair, also commonly referred to as a job expo or career fair or career expo, is an event in which employers, recruiters, and schools give information to potential employees. Job seekers attend job fairs to speak face-to-face with potential e ...

in Indian country.

Chapters

, AISES has 177 chartered college and university chapters and 13 professional chapters in the US and Canada. In addition, 150 affiliated K-12 schools enroll in excess of 45,000 Native American students.

''Winds of Change'' magazine

AISES publishes ''Winds of Change'', a quarterly magazine on science, technology, engineering and math fields and Native Americans.

Scholarships

In 2012, AISES administered four merit-based, college scholarship programs: * ''A.T. Anderson Memorial Scholarship''—offered since 1983 to its members in the fields of math, science, medicine, engineering, physical science, natural resources, and technology. * ''AISES Google Scholarship'' * ''AISES Intel Scholarship'' * ''Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation Scholarship''

Awards

At the annual AISES Leadership Summit, two student awards are voted on for students, by students. The awards are the Rising Leader Award and Leadership Award. In 2018, soil scientist

Lydia Jennings Lydia L. Jennings is a Native American soil microbiologist and environmental scientist. Her research interests are soil health, environmental remediation, indigenous science, mining policy, and environmental data ownership by tribal nations. She ...

was awarded the Rising Leader Award. In 2011, the San Juan College branch of AISES earned the National Student Chapter of the Year award, the first community college to earn the national award formerly given at top schools such as Stanford University and the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control Native American organizations . American engineering organizations Educational organizations based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in New Mexico Organizations based in Albuquerque, New Mexico Organizations established in 1977 1977 establishments in New Mexico Scholarships in the United States Charities based in New Mexico