Welcome to the Fall 2023 issue of Winds of Change! It might be my imagination, but when fall arrives I can feel a note of expectancy in the air. I welcome the changing season with its refreshing temperatures and promise of new beginnings for our scholars and their teachers — an enthusiasm for a fresh start that I find contagious.
If this fall means you too are looking for a fresh start on your academic or professional path, the College and Career Fair at the National Conference — the largest event like it in Indian Country — is a must. Join us in Spokane October 19–21, and fill the rest of your schedule with enriching sessions, networking opportunities, and a priceless chance to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones.
“One thing I find especially gratifying at our National Conferences is seeing the motivation young people come away with.”
Also at every National Conference, we take time to recognize outstanding individuals who have excelled professionally and contributed much to the progress of Indigenous people in STEM. At the festive Closing Banquet, you will meet the winners of the 2023 Professional Awards; click here for a preview of their accomplishments.
One thing I find especially gratifying at our National Conferences is seeing the motivation young people come away with. One example is Caydence Palmer, who was inspired after seeing an Apache helicopter on a National Conference tour of a manufacturing facility of The Boeing Company. “When they opened the doors to the hangar, my heart was happy,” she recalls, explaining that since that day her dream is to be an engineer at The Boeing Company. You can read about Palmer and other members at different places on their personal STEM path in “AISES People.”
As always, you can catch up on news of AISES and our members and chapters in “AISES Notebook,” and find academic and professional opportunities in “Career Builder” and “Paths in Education.”
An especially compelling feature in this issue is our interview with National Park Service Director Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III. When we had a chance to sit down with him, he spoke about his vision for the NPS and the importance of incorporating both Indigenous wisdom and Western science, especially when it comes to climate change, saying, “We need to bring in traditional stories and match them with the science we use to help better manage how we’re going to be resilient and adapt.”
Here at AISES, part of our mission has always been to help our members “bring in traditional stories and match them with the science” as they contribute their unique Indigenous perspective in a fulfilling STEM career. Thank you for participating in that work.
Ta’Tura Tsiksu (With Much Respect),
Sarah EchoHawkPawnee Nation of OklahomaPresident, AISES