AISES members and guests from the Oklahoma State University College Chapter, the Oklahoma Professional Chapter, and around Region 4 gathered at the expansive on-campus facility of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology on April 5 and 6 for the annual Regional Conference. The event began on Friday afternoon with something for everyone, including exciting video game tournaments, an icebreaker session with Dr. Cara Cowan Watts, and a dinner of street tacos. Saturday began with an inspiring keynote address followed by a full schedule of multiple sessions and a career fair.
Two gamers were deeply engaged in making strategic moves to secure a victory in a Mario Kart tournament held on the first day of the conference.
A second-floor view provided a perspective of the Career Fair below.
Dr. Jessica Hernandez
Keynote speaker Dr. Jessica Hernandez, Maya Ch'orti' and Binnizá-Zapotec, is a marine and environmental scientist who described herself as a “displaced Indigenous warrior from Central America.” And a warrior she is. A resolute advocate for Indigenous environmental management, Dr. Hernandez has written a book, Banana Leaves: Landscapes Through Indigenous Science, that delineates how traditional ecological knowledge could support and correct deficits in mainstream approaches. She began her keynote remarks by explaining the origin of her book title: when he was a young boy, her father found refuge from the genocide going on around him in El Salvador in the sheltering leaves of a banana tree.
She reminded the audience that Indigenous peoples are not a monolith, and one person can’t speak for all. That said, Indigenous people have historically been excluded from rosters of “founders of science.” Exclusion, she said, is the common experience of Indigenous people in STEM, explaining that unlike objective western science, Indigenous knowledge systems are wholistic and rooted in ancestral observations of how people live and how the world around them works. Western science follows the scientific method; Indigenous science (TEK) interprets how the world works from a particular cultural perspective.
“We need to build bridges with each other across the globe, and spaces like AISES allow us to meet each other.”
Dr. Hernandez pointed out that in the modern world Indigenous people are often seen as research subjects, not researchers: as areas of expertise, not experts. “It’s important for us to deconstruct these narratives in academia,” she said, and advance the Indigenous view of the interconnectedness of TEK. As an example of that perspective, she cited the work of Dr. Greg Cajete, author and professor of Native American studies and language, literacy, and sociocultural studies at the University of New Mexico, making the point that factual knowledge is embedded in a web of Indigenous knowledge, but western resource management extracts those data pieces. In TEK there is no power structure: it is a wholistic view of the entire puzzle, whereas western science looks at the individual puzzle pieces. Our task, she said, is to bridge these two perspectives as we go into western spaces because there aren’t many Indigenous scientists.
To this end, her advocacy is international, including the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai. Along with Indigenous rights, land rights, and climate change, water rights is a principal focus for Dr. Hernandez, and she calls for a feminist agenda to tackle the world’s water crisis through the UNFCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). For her a heartening sign is that she is beginning to see entities citing Indigenous knowledge as relevant to solving climate change.
Indigenous communities around the world, she said, are not poor but overexploited. “We need to build bridges with each other across the globe, and spaces like AISES allow us to meet each other,” she said, pointing out that Indigenous people are 5 percent of the world’s population but manage 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity and 25 percent of the world’s land surface. Latin America and the Caribbean contain 50 percent of the world’s biodiversity, but Latin America is the deadliest place for environmental activists. “Indigenous peoples are land and rights defenders who sometimes must go up against multinational corporations and settler government structures to advance climate justice,” she said. She called for global Indigenous solidarity, saying “We are stronger and louder when we are united.” And that unity is important because she sees climate change as a human rights violation that impedes Indigenous culture. Indigenous people have many roles when it comes to advancing climate justice: disruptors, caregivers, builders, and international advocacy work. “Science drives the research,” she said, “but our communities drive the solutions.”
Read our summary of their session, Changing the Game: The STEM in Esports, below.
Presenter Angelica Noel Lozano-Romines
PHOTO VIA INSTAGRAM @ANGEENOEL
“During the AISES Region 4 conference, I had the opportunity to assist with coordinating the Friday social event. Thanks to my 2023 summer internship with Oklahoma State University Esports Arena, I was able to secure the arena for the AISES student organization during the conference. It was exciting to see all the attendees during the social event participate in the gaming tournament featuring Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., and Fortnite. One of the highlights of the evening was teaching Dr. Jessica Hernandez how to play Fortnite!"
“Additionally, I gave a presentation about STEM careers in the gaming industry during the conference. I shared insights about my experience entering the esports industry with one of the few Indigenous-owned esports organizations, Native Gaming. I was thrilled to showcase video games at the event and connect them not only to STEM but also to the Indigenous students. My goal is to educate people about increasing the representation of Indigenous people not only in video games but in the industry."
Talee Redcorn presented the seminar, “Future of a Sovereign Native Nation using Native talent and individuals, resources, culture and most of all, Native languages.” Redcorn is Director of Housing for the Osage Nation; serves on the Minerals Council for the Osage Nation in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. He is also an actor, appearing in the 2023 film Killers of the Flower Moon.
Career Opportunities in Tribal Food and Agriculture
indigenousfoodandag.com
Session presenter Carly Griffith Hotvedt, associate director at the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI), focused on opportunities to improve tribal food and agricultural systems by incorporating expanding roles for STEM professionals. “There is a huge need for innovation and technical support,” she said, explaining that IFAI has been working on connecting skilled individuals with opportunities for 10 years. “We want to enhance health and wellness in tribal communities by advancing healthy food systems, cultural food traditions, and diversified economic development. We can’t be truly sovereign unless we can feed our own people.”
Agriculture in Indian Country is increasingly vibrant and diverse, with 58,000 farms now owned — individually or tribally — by Indigenous people.
She pointed out that Indigenous people are the first scientists. Of the food consumed around the globe, 60 percent to 80 percent was introduced by Native people. “We use observation-based research,” she said. “We’ve always been scientists, and we developed our own effective leadership and government structures.”
Federal policies have resulted in food dependencies, she explained, but tribes are making investments in leveraging traditional knowledge for sustainable harvesting that are paying off. Agriculture in Indian Country is increasingly vibrant and diverse, with 58,000 farms now owned — individually or tribally — by Indigenous people.
Hotvedt emphasized that a career in this field is “not just cows and plows.” Instead there is a need for professionals in multiple STEM disciplines, including engineers, IT specialists, biologists, environmental scientists, programmers, and computer scientists as well as other fields like law and accounting. “We are focused on building the bench at IFAI,” she said, citing summer programs run by IFAI along with opportunities during the summer and beyond at individual tribes, private industry, and nonprofits like NCAI, Village Earth, Intertribal Timber Council, Intertribal Buffalo Council, Indian Land Tenure Foundation, Akiptan, National Indian Carbon Coalition, Intertribal Agriculture Council, First Nations Development Institute, and through tribally serving federal grant programs. “There are so many opportunities,” she said, “No matter what you are interested in, the federal government has something for you and we will help you navigate agencies like those at the USDA and the Department of the Interior.” She also told attendees about the Tribal Agriculture Fellowship, which goes to students interested in preserving and promoting the legacy of agriculture in tribal communities. “It’s essentially a full ride,” said Hotvedt. She ended with her message that IFAI has year-round opportunities, emphasizing that “your science background is very important to us!”
Computer Science for Everyone
khoury.northeastern.edu
mila.quebec/en/project/flair-initiative/
Presenter Chelsea Smith of the Khoury School of Computer Science at Northeastern University in Boston began by asking “what is computer science.” When she assured attendees that no answer is wrong, she established her main message: computer science is accessible and open to everyone. Smith pointed out that CS is a massive field that includes everything from software and systems development and testing to computational theory. What’s more, the discipline is part of our everyday life. “Anytime we go on a website, use an app, or go shopping, computer science is involved,” she said.
Smith invited Sommer Harris, a colleague from the Northeastern campus in Vancouver, British Columbia, to help demonstrate how algorithms work. Harris guided attendees through creating a step-by-step procedure for accomplishing an end (i.e., an algorithm) using the example of establishing a morning routine. Smith then covered four qualities for computational thinking pointing out that a lot of CS is using skills we already have: (1) Decomposition, (2) Pattern recognition, (3) Abstraction, (4) Algorithm.
She assured attendees that every perspective is important in the tech field. “Your voice matters,” she said. As an example of someone who is passionate about something and using CS to accomplish it, she pointed to Michael Running Wolf of the FLAIR (First Languages AI Reality) initiative whose organization is building apps to preserve Indigenous languages. She told attendees that the Khoury School has acted on the tenet that “CS is for everyone” by instituting the Align Master’s Program. “This is a path to CS, data science, and cybersecurity — and a bridge to a master’s degree — for anyone who didn’t study CS in college. The program is open to any undergraduate background.”
Just Ask — What My Failed Master’s Degree Taught Me
Joseph Jones, the director of the Department of Facilities Management for the Oklahoma City Area Indian Health Service Office of Environmental Health and Engineering, delivered an effective message on the importance of asking for help when you need it. “I have grades from A to F on my record, and every grade I deserved,” he said, telling the story of his failed MS.
He started in 1992 in the undergraduate civil engineering program at Oklahoma State University, “I was the president of the Native American Students Association, which took up a lot of time,” he explained. “Then I met my future wife, which took up a lot of time. And my grades suffered. I decided to get an MS because I needed to get my grades up and raise my credibility.” He found the upper-level classes more interesting and decided to go the thesis route, but his experiments failed and his figures were wrong. “For six months I kept trying,” he said. “I was too prideful to ask my professors for the help I needed. I felt I should figure it out and I let it linger for 10 years. I was too bullheaded to switch to the courses option.”
Finally, Jones pivoted and completed a master’s in health care administration. “The biggest takeaways from my journey are don’t let your pride or shame stop you from asking for help,” he said. “Your professors want you to succeed — that’s why they got into teaching. And you have friends who can help. Learn when to pivot because no failure is final.”
Andrew Bryant, Bubba Greer, and Greg Poston from Gresham Smith facilitated the session on the future of broadband.
The Future + Broadband
GreshamSmith.com
Andrew Bryant, Bubba Greer, and Greg Poston from Gresham Smith led a session imparting a wide range of information about fiberoptics and the future of fiberoptic technology. High speed internet can involve DSL, cable, or fiber optic technology. Optic fibers are the size of a human hair with cladding and core made of glass. Using strands of fibers, data is sent back and forth thanks to lasers and light signals. As Poston described it, “Fiber optics is essentially a pipe that carries data.” Fiber optics is a fascinating technology with everyday applications in computer networks, telephone communications, health care, the automotive industry, lighting, decorating, and more. Broadband provides high speed internet access across multiple types of technologies including fiber optic. Incentives for broadband and expansion in communities include work from home opportunities, telemedicine, remote learning, increased home values of 5 percent to 10 percent, increased economic development for local businesses, and “Gig City” or “Wired City.” What’s next? Broadband is being looked at as a utility because broadband in the home increases home values. The economic development aspects are limitless where businesses can attract more customers with faster broadband, as well as close digital divides by reaching underserved communities.
Advancing Indigenous Student Support in Computer Science at the University of Oklahoma
cs-includes.oucreate.com
Tiffani Kelly, a PhD student at the University of Oklahoma, described their educational path and journeys in computer science. Kelly highlighted the CS INCLUDES (Computer Science Indigenous Community of Learners United to Develop, Excel, and Succeed) program at OU, which provides scholarships for computer science majors to help recipients use their computational knowledge to contribute to tribal nation building. CS INCLUDES has funding for up to five years and up to $10,000 per year based on financial need.
Changing the Game: The STEM in Esports
X: @NativeGaming | Instagram: @angeenoel
Indigenous social scientist, educator, and content creator Angelica Noel Lozano-Romines provided a thrilling session on the topics of esports and competitive gaming. She asked the question “Why are universities not investing in students in esports?” After all, Romines believes esports are just as competitive as university sports teams where scholarships are provided. She said that gamers use mathematics and physics to make split-second decisions. Gaming is popular among Native youths and adults, yet gamer statistics do not represent the Native community. Since the first gaming tournament in 1972 at Stanford University, gaming has risen in popularity and is only going to be more popular in the future. As an avid game enthusiast and director of Community and Partnership Development at Native Gaming (NG), Romines works to create inclusive spaces — especially for women — in esports. “Gaming brings STEM nerds together,” said Romines. “There’s indigeneity in esports and bringing Native gamers and gaming to the esports industry is the future.” Check out @angeenoel on X (twitter).
