American Indian Science and Engineering Society facts for kids
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| Formation | 1977 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Arnold Anderson Al Qöyawayma Carol Gardipe George Thomas Jerry Elliott Jim Shorty |
| Type | 501(c)(3) |
| Focus | Native American education |
| Location |
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Area served
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United States and Canada |
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Members
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c. 4000 |
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Key people
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Sarah EchoHawk (Pawnee) Chief Executive Officer |
| Endowment | $1,000,000 - $4,999,999 |
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Employees
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10 to 29 FTE |
The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) is a special group that helps Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and First Nation people in North America. Their main goal is to encourage more of these young people to study and work in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). AISES is a non-profit organization, which means they use their money to help people, not to make a profit. Their main office is in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sarah EchoHawk has been their Chief Executive Officer since 2013.
Contents
How AISES Started
AISES was created in 1977 by a group of American Indian scientists. These founders included Arnold Anderson (Mohawk), Al Qöyawayma, Carol Gardipe (Penobscot), George Thomas (Cherokee), Jerry Elliott (Cherokee/Osage), Alex Labadie (Osage), and Jim Shorty (Navajo). They wanted to create a community and support system for Native people in science and engineering.
The Annual AISES Conference
Since it began, AISES has held a big meeting every year called the AISES National Conference. This event lasts for three days. It includes a large job fair, which is a place where people can find jobs. This job fair is the biggest one of its kind for Native communities.
AISES Groups Across North America
AISES has many smaller groups, called chapters, all over the United States and Canada. As of 2011, there were 177 chapters at colleges and universities. There were also 13 chapters for professionals who are already working.
AISES in Schools
Beyond colleges, AISES also works with younger students. About 150 schools for students from kindergarten to 12th grade are connected with AISES. More than 45,000 Native American students are part of these school programs.
Winds of Change Magazine
AISES publishes a magazine called Winds of Change. This magazine comes out four times a year. It shares interesting articles about science, technology, engineering, and math fields. It also highlights the achievements of Native Americans in these areas.
Scholarships for Students
AISES helps students pay for college through different scholarship programs. Scholarships are like gifts of money that help students afford their education. In 2012, AISES managed four main scholarship programs based on how well students performed in school.
- A.T. Anderson Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship has been offered since 1983. It helps AISES members who are studying subjects like math, science, medicine, engineering, and technology.
- AISES Google Scholarship: This scholarship is supported by Google.
- AISES Intel Scholarship: This scholarship is supported by Intel.
- Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation Scholarship: This scholarship is supported by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation.
AISES Awards
At the yearly AISES Leadership Summit, students vote for two special awards. These awards celebrate student leaders. The awards are the Rising Leader Award and the Leadership Award. In 2018, a soil scientist named Lydia Jennings received the Rising Leader Award.
National Student Chapter of the Year
In 2011, the AISES chapter at San Juan College won the National Student Chapter of the Year award. This was a big achievement because San Juan College is a community college. Before them, this national award had usually gone to larger universities like Stanford University and the University of California, Los Angeles.
See also
