Scenes from the Gathering: Attendees enjoyed meaningful keynotes and sessions, networking, a career fair, and poster presentations.
STEM students and professionals from far-flung parts of Turtle Island came together to network, learn, and celebrate a deep cultural connection at the 2024 AISES in Canada National Gathering. All in all, it was an international expression of enthusiasm for the AISES mission. And with the spectacular natural surroundings of Vancouver, the National Gathering had an appropriate setting for the three days of “Celebrating Indigenous Futures: Preserving Traditions, Embracing Change.”
The sixth annual AISES in Canada in National Gathering opened on Leap Day — February 29 — with a convivial welcome banquet. AISES Council of Elders member Dr. Bret Benally Thompson offered a Land Acknowledgement honoring the Coast Salish people and the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish Nations. Local elders offered a welcoming blessing reminding everyone of the relationship of spirit to water and the responsibility to protect water. They urged attendees to help execute their vision of repairing ecological damage. “Your ancestors were scientists,” said one. “You are here for a reason. It is your ancestors waking up in you.” Entertainment at the banquet was provided by the Soul Sisters Drum Group.
The next two days were packed with activities including sessions, exhibitor booths, a University and College Expo, poster presentations, and various events. It all started with the traditional Morning Blessing where attendees were reminded that we have our ancestors — the spirits around us — to ask for help.
Dr. Lisa Monkman
At the Plenary Session, the keynote speaker, Dr. Lisa Monkman, continued the thread of generational support by saying, “I attribute all my success to the hard work of my mom and my ancestors. My mom made sure we grew up in Anishinaabe ceremonies, and I never doubted who I am as an Indigenous woman.”
Dr. Monkman, Ojibwe, is a family physician who practices primary care in rural Anishinaabe communities in Manitoba. She shared stories of her journey into medicine, beginning with her grandmother who survived residential school and was transformed by immersing herself in ceremony. “Our ceremonies and traditional medicine saved her and had a ripple effect on her family,” said Dr. Monkman. “We know about medicinal properties from watching the animals. It is a testimony to our resilience.”
She pointed out that 20 percent of the population of Manitoba is Indigenous. “I call it the ‘Land of Plenty,’” she said, emphasizing that there is much to celebrate and much work to be done. “Racism kills — this is why I do the work that I do. It is directly linked to poverty, health status, depression, stress, addiction, and mental illness.” But the cultural continuity in communities that powers resilience will inspire young people to learn the skills that will ultimately contribute to a better world.
There were more than 55 National Gathering sessions to choose from in multiple tracks like Indigenous Knowledge, Education and Student Success, Professional and Workforce Development, and Research in different disciplines. Here are recaps of just some of them.
Session attendees were offered a colorful selection of informative postcards.
Future Pathways Fireside Chats
firesidechats.ca
Connected North launched in 2013 with an ambitious vision: “to connect kindergarten–grade 12 students in remote Indigenous communities to opportunities and experiences not available to them where they live.” Today this umbrella organization serves more than 150 schools, 30,000 students, and 900 teachers from the Yukon to Nunavat. Their interactive program delivers technology-based customized learning opportunities with a goal of increasing feelings of confidence and empowerment among their constituencies.
One of their programs, Future Pathways Fireside Chats, connects high school students with Indigenous role models. “It’s a program born of response to the pandemic,” said presenter Magdalena Kelly of the program that brings recorded “Fireside Chats” to young people. “It’s about older Indigenous people who want to help the youth,” she explained. “We’ve done over 500 interviews.” The presentations help students explore careers they might otherwise not know exist. “The interviews normalize a nonlinear path,” said Kelly, “and young people explore the journeys of Indigenous leaders. It’s an amazing time to be Indigenous.”
It IS Rocket Science! STEM Outreach and First Nations Launch
engineering.queensu.ca
spacegrant.carthage.edu
Members of the Queen’s University Q-AISES Indigenous Rocket Team — the first Canadian team to take home the Grand Prize at the NASA-sponsored First Nations Launch competition — presented a session on how they did it. In recognition of their accomplishment, the Queen’s team, along with the two top-scoring U.S.-based teams, was invited to a VIP tour at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. First Nations Launch, held annually in Wisconsin, is open to Indigenous student teams from tribal colleges and universities, Native American serving nontribal institutions, and other schools that have an AISES chapter. Presenter Melanie Howard, the team advisor and director of Indigenous Futures in Engineering at Queen’s University, explained that the school got started with the high-powered rocketry competition in 2019 thanks to their active AISES chapter. Queen’s University has since been joined in the FNL competition by three other Canadian teams. The 2023 grand champion Queen’s team had 16 members — the largest FNL team ever. And for the first time in 2023, a team based in Canada scored the most points in the various competition categories, placing first in Oral Presentations and Written Reports. Howard explained that you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to join a team because there are plenty of training opportunities and multiple roles. “We have subteams, including Outreach,” she explained. “We get out into the community and do outreach with rocket kits in Indigenous schools. Outreach is so important because you never know what kid you will inspire.” Presenters also had a chance to inspire attendees at their session by helping them create their own pencil rockets.
Canadian Indigenous Advisory Council (CIAC) Meeting
aises.org/about/ciac
Members of CIAC advise AISES on matters relevant to Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) STEM students and professionals in Canada. CIAC also works to expand opportunities for AISES members and support the organization’s mission in other ways. There was much discussion at this meeting of members of the council about the transition from AISES in Canada to now officially incorporated AISES Canada (note the name change) and some benefits of closer ties with AISES. Some audience members were also interested in when AISES Canada might achieve special tax status as a charity allowing Canadian businesses to support the organization as sponsors. They were assured that progress toward that goal is being made. Council members also announced that they would welcome new members, and anyone interested should contact a current member or Lisa Paz, managing director of engagement and advocacy at AISES (lpaz@aises.org).
How to Be a Good Ally
Presenter Dr. Mark Bellcourt, a former member of the AISES Board of Directors, recently retired from the University of Minnesota with professional expertise focused on Indigenous environmental knowledge. He offered attendees a list of dos and don’ts on the topic of how to be a good ally:
How to Start Taking Up ReconciliACTIONs in Unique Ways
Presenter Jessica Vandenberghe told attendees that the first step to reconciliation is to acknowledge and accept the truth of what happened — and is still happening. She listed historic wrongs like residential and day schools, slavery, the effects of diseases, Indian hospitals, medical testing, road allowance communities (Métis people who were dispossessed of their land were often forced to squat on “road allowances,” unused portions of land set aside for future road and rail construction), and the “Sixties Scoop” (as the government phased out residential schools in the 1950s and ’60s, Indigenous children taken from their homes were placed with non-Indigenous families through the foster-adoption system).
With over 600 recognized nations, Canada is the only western nation that has enacted a Truth and Reconciliation Act.
We need to talk about these truths, said Vandeberghe, before there can be reconciliation, which requires two-eyed seeing. She said it’s important to go into a conversation without grief and anger, but rather calmly and respectfully, resolved with the truth that you have processed and accepted. With over 600 recognized nations, Canada is the only western nation that has enacted a Truth and Reconciliation Act. She said there needs to be reconciliation from the other side that they have been lied to. Here are some of the “unique ways” to take up reconciliation that Vandenberghe recommended.
Visit Indigenous communities and see for yourself.
Start an awareness journey by learning the truth — read, watch documentaries, listen to podcasts, follow social media. Change where you are getting your information.
Volunteer for programs that support First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples.
Create awareness. Wear your orange shirt every day, not just on September 30 (the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and Orange T-Shirt Day, which honor children who attended residential schools and the intergenerational impact those schools left behind).
Make sure the people you are voting for are trained in Truth and Reconciliation. Are you informed about the issues and is your candidate?
Buy your next five gifts from Indigenous craftspeople.
Donate to Indigenous youth programs, elder healing, and other ways to support communities.
Start a kitchen table conversation — voice what you have been learning.
Research the land you live on.
Research your own ancestry. Vandenberghe also recommended the podcast Unsettled: Journeys in Truth and Conciliation that she creates with settler cohost George Lee. “‘Reconciliation’ is a term given to us,” she said. “It implies a settling up and closing the books, which isn’t reality. Many say that ‘conciliation’ is more apt.” She explained that she and Lee invite people to have conversations with them on the podcast, starting from the belief that conciliation in Canada is an ongoing project, individually and collectively. It’s a process: the country is moving beyond colonial thinking to build a nation of nations—one free of racist, pro-assimilation policies, and one that honors commitments to Indigenous peoples.
Unfathomable Mysteries
Beginning with a Land Acknowledgement, presenter Dr. Mark Bellcourt assured attendees that “nature will always possess unfathomable mysteries.” He contrasted that statement with the western belief that nature is completely decipherable to the rational mind. Pointing out that most Indigenous languages are verb based, he explained that most western languages are noun based and the western worldview is based on mastery, derived from the Latin for “seeking knowledge.” The western scientific method is empirical, based on objective observation: if you can’t see it, it doesn’t exist. Traditional Indigenous knowledge, on the other hand, relies on the interconnectedness of Indigenous peoples throughout the world and their stewardship of the Earth. Dr. Bellcourt said that TEK relies on the same scientific methods and procedures as the western approach: trial and error, observation, hypothesis, and experimentation, but it differs in philosophy and ethics. He elaborated on some of the differences: Indigenous spirituality is embedded in everything, in all elements of the cosmos. In western philosophy, spirituality equates to religious doctrine. Indigenous spirituality has a core belief in the sanctity of personal and community relationships to the natural world, and humans have responsibility for maintaining harmonious relationships with that natural world. He contrasted that with the western belief that humans can exercise dominion over nature to use it for personal and economic gain. In Indigenous culture there is no concept of ownership. Reciprocity between the human and natural worlds is emphasized, and resources are viewed as gifts. In the western view, resources are available for exploitation. In the Indigenous worldview wisdom and ethics are derived from a sense of empathy and kinship with other forms of life. In the western view, there is a sense of separateness from and superiority over other forms of life, while in the Indigenous view all animals are animate, have spirits, and are connected.
Bringing Traditional Indigenous Science to University Spaces
Presenter Caleb Wesley is a science educator, research assistant in community-based biostatistics and epidemiology at York University, and coordinator of Indigenous knowledge and science outreach. His goal is to make science accessible to the general public, especially the K-12 Indigenous students he works with by incorporating Indigenous knowledge and experiential learning. He described Stoodis Science, a summer camp experience organized by SciXchange at Toronto Metropolitan University, that provides space for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students to explore Indigenous ways of knowing. A particular camp project — tanning deer hide — involves a multistep cultural and scientific process, and Wesley showed session attendees videos of campers engaged in various phases of tanning. The successful hide project will be repeated in future Stoodis Science camps.
Managing the Transition from Campus to Workplace
This session covered topics that graduating students are — or should be — thinking about. Presenters Montoya Whiteman, AISES managing director of editorial and special projects, and Karen English, editor of AISES Winds of Change magazine, discussed tools and strategies like personal branding, LinkedIn basics, cover letter success, informational interviews, digital business cards, and CV or resume? with dos and don’ts of both. After a discussion of the elevator pitch, attendees were able to practice creating their own pitch and present it to the group. Attendees were encouraged to begin honing selected tools, like their LinkedIn profile and their resume, well before graduation.
Beyond Play: Using Games to Preserve Indigenous Knowledge, Culture, Art, Language, and Tradition
www.quipu.gg
www.unlv.edu/igi/cgi
Session facilitator and founder of Project Quipu, Hai Ng laid out a roadmap for game development and best practices and lessons for gamers. Ng believes game developers are digital storytellers and how they tell a story is critical to product success. Ng related digital game development to unpacking a box. Each item in the box has a specific purpose and much like gaming it involves purpose, setting objectives, and knowing the end game. He cautioned that when a game “is out” it is not really yours anymore. Using Star Wars as an example Ng said, “George Lucas may have started the Star Wars, but people like Jon Favre (Mandalorian creator) and others have taken ownership of it.” Ng identified the characteristics of a good game as music, graphics, and more. Breaking into the gaming world is hard, he said, but that world creates common ground and unexpected friendships with people from across the globe. Why? Because you speak the same language. Ng shared scholarship news about the in-person and remote University of Las Vegas Gaming Innovation Class. Launched in 2013, this program has generated 25 patents and over $2.5 million in career opportunities and commercialized games. It serves as a gaming incubator designed to foster entrepreneurial spirit in inventors and non-inventors of all ages. The goal is to bring Indigenous talent into the casino/gaming environment. Last, Ng said “probably 20 games are launched daily. The toughest part is to get people to play your game because only 1:20 games get the followers that sets them apart.”
Indigenous Alumni Panel
shad.ca
Headquartered in Ontario, Shad Canada is a STEAM and entrepreneurial program for students in grades 10 and 11. At Shad, students have the chance to explore their gifts for science, learn to solve problems, embrace risk, build networks, and mature as change leaders. Shad’s Diversity, and Inclusion Manager Michelle McFarlane facilitated an experiential storytelling journey with Shad graduates and emerging First Nations leaders Victoria McMahon and Keaton Johnson. McMahon described Shad as “people who come together from different backgrounds and experiences who have a shared passion.” Johnson said his parents led him to Shad and his expectations were “blown away.” Their experiences involved lectures, workshops, activities, and networking. Shad has achieved over 20,000 alumni in its 40-year history.
Coffee with AISES Leadership
aises.org
Four members of the AISES Board of Directors and two AISES leaders from the U.S. joined in a casual dialogue to field audience questions about AISES and to hear more about the newly incorporated AISES Canada. AISES President Sarah EchoHawk discussed events and activities happening in the U.S. and said that AISES Canada would mirror some of those activities reinforcing the Canadian Indigenous Advisory Council’s (CIAC) role, direction, and framework development for AISES Canada. Gary Burnett, AISES Board chair said, “AISES south of the border has a 50-year head start and the lessons learned, and organizational knowledge, will be solidly shared with others as a Canada charitable nonprofit emerges in the years to come.” John Desjarlais of CIAC shared background information and the initial conversations he and others had about developing AISES Canada. He described his experiences and background in STEM as a consultant and Indigenous professional. Desjarlais said his involvement in AISES Canada is “grounded in STEM advocacy where STEM is more accessible, less transactional, and more relatable.” Desjarlais wants Indigenous people involved in this formative process to not worry about the “little stuff” and to be “beautiful Indigenous nerds.”
Wildfire Risk Reduction at aksk’alt
Syilx.org
Nrc.canada.ca/en
Akskalt, also known as the White Lake Basin (WLB), contains multiple watersheds and is a habitat for rare and endangered sandhill cranes, butterflies, tiger salamanders, and osprey. The Syilx Nation people see themselves as the caretakers of the delicate forests, water, plants, and animals found here. The National Research Council of Canada (NRCC) operates Canada’s only radio astronomy observatory within the WLB. It is a training ground for STEM students and professionals who correlate data from space including monitoring the high and low activity cycles of the sun. Wildfire risk reduction and ecosystem protection are critical at WLB not only as a rich biodiverse archaeological site, but also as one of the breadbaskets for the Syilx people. In collaboration with Syilx elders, traditional prescribed burning has taken place using traditional protocols and Indigenous knowledge. The collaboration project has been successful resulting in a high degree of cross-cultural learning, relationship building, low-intensity burns, and title rights acknowledgement that opens a gateway to qualitative thought and discussion. NRCC Site Operations Manager Kory Phillips said, “Syilx knowledge could not be overstated in this process.”
Creating Space for Indigenous Students in Public School Systems
Linkedin.com/in/akeshia-trudeau-45ba90210
Language teacher Akeshia Trudeau supports incorporating cultural knowledge in the classroom. Trudeau said knowledge keepers in the classroom share the real history of the land and any subject can be taught with an Indigenous lens. Not only will showcasing Indigenous STEM knowledge in elementary school show students they have a future in STEM, but STEM recognizes the sources that we’ve been naturally given. One key takeaway from Trudeau’s presentation is we need to see ourselves in the work we do. Trudeau said, “It’s important to highlight how beautifully diverse and how amazing Indigenous people are.”
Mathematical Unity Across the Vast Pacific
educatingnow.com
coe.hawaii.edu/ethnomath/about
Educators Nikki Lineham and Kate Cruz believe math is the gateway to science, and they’ll do anything to make math more fun. They offer students opportunities to investigate ethnomathematics: the study of how cultures and mathematics intersect. With partners across the world, the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s ethnomathematics program is building a network of collaborators, libraries, and ethnomath stories for incorporation in classrooms. UHM has an Ethnomathematics Graduate certificate program that is grounded in real-world problem solving and endorsed by the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board. Lineham and Cruz have promoted cultural exchanges between Alaska and Hawaii where students apply ethnomath concepts and traditional wisdom. For example, in 2023 Angoon High school students in the Chatham School District joined with a Tlingit master carver to build and launch a dugout canoe from the shores of Angoon. It was the first in over 140 years using Indigenous knowledge and support from the Pacific Voyaging Society. Cruz and Lineham discussed other ethnomath projects and activities like the Hawaiian star compass, star gazing, the He’eia Fishpond, canoe making, and more. To learn more about ethnomathematic presentations and research in K-12 and higher education institutions visit the Curriculum Library at https://coe.hawaii.edu/ethnomath/about/.
Technical Well-Being: Celebrating Indigenous Leaders Through Preserving Traditions and Embracing Change
coehs.unm.edu/departments-programs/teelp/education-leadership-program/pollen-cohort.html
Drs. Shawn Secatero and Tyson March presented the Corn Pollen Model Holistic Leadership to session participants acknowledging its attributes of spiritual, mental, physical, and social well-being. The curriculum is built on the foundation of Technical Well-Being, defined as social and emotional learning in the construct of technology. Marsh focused his presentation on research using critical theories of race and the importance of the Corn Pollen Model because settler colonialism has marginalized groups and people. Marsh said, “This is refusal of reproduction of the colonial way that embraces cultural wealth and knowledge.” In this interactive workshop participants recited the cornstalk prayer together. Other concepts discussed were spiritual rotation where leaders step aside for upcoming generations and appropriate ways to lead with humility. Dr. Secatero encouraged teaching and embedding leadership practices through mentorship because nothing lasts forever. “We will not always be here,” he said. The session closed with, “We are here to offer advice so that you can share and show yourself as a beautiful, diverse Indigenous person.”
John Desjarlais signs the ceremonial papers marking the incorporation of AISES Canada with AISES Board Member William Tiger and AISES Board Chair Gary Burnette looking on.
The Closing Banquet at an AISES gathering is an occasion that’s memorable for much more than a delicious dinner of local specialties. A unique highlight of this year’s event was the ceremonial signing of papers marking the incorporation of AISES Canada (achieving official charitable status for the new organization is in progress). As AISES President Sarah EchoHawk pointed out, the renaissance of Indigenous science that began in the 1960s and ’70s is ongoing — and growing. AISES Canada is an important part of that growth. Among the signers of the incorporation papers were John Desjarlais, a member of both the Canadian Indigenous Advisory Council (CIAC) and the AISES Board of Directors, as well as the Winds of Change Editorial Advisory Board; Bill Tiger, a member of the AISES Board of Directors; and Gary Burnette, AISES Board chair. Banquet entertainment was provided by singer Francis James Jr. and traditional hoop dancer Alex Wells. Dr. Bret Benally Thompson made sure to let everyone at the banquet know that when the Closing Talking Circle he led was in need of an eagle feather, Alex Wells generously provided one, and that feather is now part of AISES Canada and its first sacred object/sacred gift.
Traditional hoop dancer Alex Wells performs at the closing banquet. He generously donated an eagle feather, which became AISES Canada's first sacred object.