Click the image above to see a slideshow of highlights from the Region 7 conference.
The Virginia Tech (VT) Chapter of AISES, also known as Hokie AISES, partnered with NASA and the Nansemond Indian Nation to plan and host the 2024 AISES Region 7 Conference. This year's conference was a three-day event, with the first two days held at NASA Langley Research Center and the last day held at Mattanock Town in Suffolk, Va., the tribal headquarters for Nansemond Indian Nation. The planning committee consisted of Hokie AISES members, NASA representatives, Nansemond Indian Nation tribal members and staff, and AISES professional members. The conference had over 100 attendees, 27 breakout sessions, a networking reception, a banquet, college and career fair, and a scholarship drawing presented by Nansemond Indian Nation.
This was the first time the Region 7 Conference was held at a government research facility. While at NASA Langley, attendees participated in breakout sessions on a broad range of topics including Indigenous food systems and food sovereignty, ethical research methodologies, traditional ecological knowledge, 3D printing, forensic science, workshops related to academic success and professional development, and many more.
On the third and final day, conference goers visited Mattanock Town, the ancestral lands of the Nansemond Indian Nation, where the tribe is working to restore the oyster reef in the Nansemond River.
At Mattanock Town, attendees participated in activities to learn about the oyster and tree restoration projects that Nansemond Indian Nation is working on. Attendees also learned about Nansemond culture and history, enjoyed fry bread from Hungry Hungry Arrow food truck, and participated in a round dance. One of the Hokie AISES members, Irma Adams, was honored during the conference with an eagle feather from tribal officials at Mattanock Town for making this connection with her tribal community to partner on the conference and for her service to her tribal community.
The theme — “Launching Connections” — has extended beyond the initial networking at the conference to make the spatially large region more connected. “Launching Connections” is showcased by the friendships that were made among AISES college attendees and the networking that took place at the conference that led to summer 2024 internships. Shortly after the 2024 AISES Regional Conference, members of the University of Florida (UF) AISES Chapter visited Hokie AISES members in Blacksburg, Va., for Virginia Tech’s seventh annual powwow. During the conference Victoria Hough, a recent UF graduate, learned about the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) ORISE Indigenous Students Summer Fellows Program and is currently completing an eight-week research experience focused on Indigenous participation in pivotal breast cancer clinical trials in the past decade. The connections launched at the 2024 AISES Region 7 Conference will continue to grow and serve as a catalyst for new connections at the next AISES gathering.
Major Patrick Sorenson, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, presents a session entitled “Feathers in Our Hair." He is one of just a handful of military members granted a religious exemption to wear Native American dress and hairstyles with his Army uniform.
A professional networking session was held after a presentation called “How to NetWORK It!” led by Cliff Jacobs of Bloomberg.
Attendees enjoyed a day of cultural activities along the Nansemond River.
