New Grants Will Benefit Women in Leadership, K–12 Learning in Minnesota
A $200,000, one-year implementation grant from the Henry Luce Foundation will help AISES develop a STEM leadership program for Indigenous women. The funding builds upon a planning grant from the foundation. With the funding, AISES will roll out programs at the Leadership Conference in Tulsa and the National Conference in Spokane to support the advancement of women in STEM.
The Minneapolis Foundation is providing funding in the form of Reimagine Education grants to schools and organizations that are advancing equity in K–12 learning in Minnesota. AISES has received a grant of nearly $60,000 to train teachers and support staff through the TEAM-IS (Teacher Engagement and Motivation for Indigenous Students) program. The initiative trains participants on best practices in incorporating local Indigenous cultural values and knowledge in the curriculum to promote achievement in STEM studies.
Exciting New Partnerships Further the AISES Mission
Indigenous students and professionals will have formal access to educational and job opportunities in STEM fields under a new memorandum of understanding between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and AISES. The USACE will be increasing efforts to engage with Native Americans and expanding access to opportunities in projects, labs, and research.
The relationship between the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and AISES is one of mutual support, with AISES a SWE Affinity Group. The organizations share knowledge and concerns and serve as resources for each other and their members.
Appropriations committees in the 117th Congress received proposals from AISES and three other nonprofit organizations advocating for diversity-serving STEM-based funding at maximum-level allocations at the Department of Education, National Science Foundation, and NASA. In this effort AISES teamed with SWE, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and the National Society of Black Engineers.
AISES Pre-K Programming Gains Momentum
A lesson that AISES K–12 Student Success Program Officer Stacy Smith Ledford conducted at the Soboba Tribal Preschool in Hemet, Calif., for students from the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians garnered the attention of the Valley News of Fallbrook Calif. Ledford, who joined AISES in January 2022, has been traveling to classrooms to reach an increasing number of students and educators from preschool through high school. The story “Soboba Students Enjoy STEM Robotics Lesson” covered a lesson she conducted through the AISES SPRK-ing Interest in Computer Science program.
USDA to Fund Indigenous Knowledge Research Track
As part of the Biden administration’s Indigenous Knowledge (IK) initiative — which provides first-time guidance to federal agencies to include IK in formulating research and making policies and decisions — the USDA will fund a track at the AISES National Conference for students who are conducting research at the intersection of Western science and traditional knowledge.
In Remembrance
Dwight Gourneau
The AISES family mourns the passing in January of Dwight Gourneau, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, a lifelong advocate for Indigenous people in STEM. His leadership of AISES, where he served as executive director of the Board of Directors and as an executive on loan from IBM Corporation, was instrumental in guiding and securing important support for the developing organization. In 1994 AISES acknowledged his contributions with its highest honor, the Ely S. Parker Award. Gourneau also held the role of board chair at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, among other leadership posts. He earned a BS in both physics and electrical engineering and an MS in systems engineering, and retired from IBM after a 30-year career that spanned both management and technical roles.
Irvin Harrison
The AISES family has lost a steadfast friend in Irvin Harrison, who passed away in January. Recognized nationally for his work in higher education advocacy for Indigenous peoples, Harrison, Diné, was the inaugural national chair of the NASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Indigenous Peoples Knowledge Community. He was a visionary leader with a distinct talent for bringing people together. We especially appreciate the energy he devoted to his role as advisor to the AISES College Chapter at Cal Poly Pomona and his leadership in Region 2. An influential practitioner-scholar, Harrison earned his bachelor’s degree in English at the University of New Mexico, where he excelled, and his master’s at San Diego State University.
Do you or a member you know have a new academic degree, promotion, or award? Newly published book or paper? Let us share the good news — just email Winds of Change editor Karen English at kenglish@aises.org.
Illustrations by istock