Opportunities to learn from session presenters sharing information on specialized topics is one of the best parts of any National Conference. Here’s a sample of the many virtual sessions attendees could choose from.
This pre-conference event, sponsored by Boeing, offered participants multiple ways to get engaged in STEM.
▸ ECOACTION VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP AND CREATING SOLUTIONS FOR THE AISES ENERGY CHALLENGE
A “virtual field trip” video showcasing what individuals can do to celebrate Earth Day every day preceded an explanation of the AISES Energy Challenge by AISES staff member Chelsea Chee, who explained that the Energy Challenge inspires students to create sustainable energy solutions. Two 2020 winners presented their projects, both of which address the high cost of electricity in Hawaii: Anna Grodolsky, “Building Efficient Hydrogen Reversible Fuel Cell Stacks for Use as a Backup Power Source,” and Joshua Kahaleaukanaka Parker, “Developing and Analyzing Hydropower in Fishpond Mākāhā (gates).”
▸ HOOP GLIDERS
Presenters from Raytheon Technologies, Dr. Thomas Reed, Rachel Yellowhair, Shane Blair, and Dr. Sysana Packauskas-Lewalski, spoke about their own backgrounds and STEM paths as well as basic concepts in the science behind flight. Participants were ready with paper, scissors, tape, and straws to explore things that fly. They learned that wings are not all the same shape and size, and different wings can be better for different kinds of flight. Then they made hoop gliders, a different type of paper airplane with wings that are actually hoops.
▸ WEAVING TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE INTO WESTERN SCIENCE USING THE CANADIAN LIGHT SOURCE SYNCHROTRON
Presenter Bernie Petit of the Canadian Light Source (CLS) explained that the CLS is a particle accelerator the size of a football field. It produces synchrotron light in order to see structural and chemical properties of atoms and molecules for research purposes. Because collaboration with diverse perspectives and approaches is necessary to understand complex questions, CLS creates partnerships between First Nation, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) communities to develop opportunities to engage teachers, students, and communities. This presentation reviewed different CLS programs available for students who would like to complete an innovative science project that incorporates traditional knowledge and Western science to be communicated to their community in the traditional cultural expression of their choice. Petit described unique opportunities in projects focused on Arctic fox and bison to discover what is revealed about First Nation and Métis women’s historical role in saving the bison from extinction, learning stories told in the rings of trees, and the Arctic fox winter survival science. Learning the “bison herstory,” she said, will empower FNMI women to reclaim their status within innovative research.
▸ HEARD AT THE CONFERENCE
Having our Indigenous students see themselves in the field of STEM is so vitally important.
— Bernie Petit, Canadian Light Source
▸ AN ENERGETIC SESSION ON LAND, FOOD, ENERGY, AIR, AND WATER, i.e., MATTER THAT MATTERS; AND SPACE, OR LACK THEREOF …
Dr. Craig Wilson, USDA/Agricultural Research Service and College of Science, Texas A&M University, presented this engaging hands-on session of inquiry-based activities. His goal was to enhance observation skills that are the basis of science, and he maintained interest with active demonstrations like sifting soil types and burning an almond to illustrate energy in food. Topics he covered included soil and land and how little is available for cultivation the world over; food and energy and how agricultural research can lead to more abundance; air and how much of the ecosystem is made up of air and how fragile it is; water and how much of the Earth’s surface is water, how precious it is, and how it can be recycled.
We’ve stopped asking questions. There’s not enough time in the classroom. We have to get back to that — without questions you’ll lose future scientists.
— Dr. Craig Wilson, USDA Agricultural Research Service and College of Science, Texas A&M
▸ hackAISES: WELLS FARGO BANK MINI-HACKATHON
This year’s hackathon focused on the burgeoning field of cybersecurity, tailored to the skill level of high school students. Presenter Kevin Poniatowski from Security Innovations offered a hands-on activity to explore cybersecurity, with students using CMD+CTRL, a training platform that employs insecure software, to learn about and develop security skills.
Austin Narcomey, MS candidate at Stanford University focusing on artificial intelligence (AI), and Andrew Narcomey, his twin brother, now working at BlockRock in AI, discussed how AI can benefit from Native perspectives. The field is multidisciplinary, wide, and diverse. The presenters offered a history of the field, pointing out that since about 2015 we have been in a “deep learning era” and able to see the limits of expensive hardware and discuss new ways machines should learn. The Narcomey brothers demonstrated how complex AI models have become. Also discussed were ways that AI can benefit Native communities, such as in environmental protection and combating climate change, language revitalization, heath care, education, and accessibility and assistance in everyday life. They described the potential of combining AI with human intelligence in areas like number crunching. The presenters emphasized that the field of AI needs more representation of Native people to bring the benefits of Indigenous perspectives, and there are many different roles to take on within this growing field.
Presenters Leona Anderson and Brandon Polingyumptewa of The Boeing Company explained that a career wheel is about finding the balance we need in life — if the balance isn’t there, the results won’t be good. “Think of your career wheel as the medicine wheel for your life,” said Polingyumptewa. He showed that the career wheel contains eight sections that represent a way of describing a whole career. In creating a career wheel, you gauge your level of satisfaction in these categories. In demonstrating how to set up and use this tool, Polingyumptewa suggested that participants identify what categories they want to focus on. For demonstration purposes, the categories he selected were education, skills, freedom, health, advancement, work-life balance, and creativity. He then directed participants to score each category they selected on where they are, where they want to be, and what actions they need to take. Taking the center of the wheel as 0 and the outer edge as an ideal 10, he demonstrated how to rank your level of satisfaction with each life area by drawing a straight or curved line to create a new outer edge. The new perimeter represents your career wheel. If the wheel is out of balance, think about how bumpy the ride would be if this were a real wheel. Identify areas where you want to improve your level of satisfaction and think about what you might do to accomplish that. The highest priority you need to work on is your lowest-scoring category. You don’t neglect the highest-scoring categories, but the visual tool of the wheel helps keep you in balance. In closing, Polingyumptewa pointed out that once you have a career wheel, you have a tool that you can make use of throughout your career.
Presenting this session was Cheyenne Branscum of the Oklahoma Geo Team, which provides a model for engaging tribal youth with STEM by having them complete original scientific research and present it at conferences and in competitions. The team aspect is the driving force behind the model, closely mimicking what is often found in sports teams. This session explained how to apply the Geo Team model to students to not only increase their understanding of STEM but also make them active participants within it. Branscum described how she went from classroom teacher to the head of a nonprofit. It started when she gave a National Geographic Challenge to four students, thinking they wouldn’t succeed. The challenge was to identify a problem with a migrating species: mallards. The students submitted their findings and were selected for the finals. One of the student’s moms made Team Mallard T-shirts. They were the only team from Oklahoma to make it. That’s when Branscum realized this could be great for all students. She applied for a grant that paid for her time to get kids into science fairs, and used the funds for branding the teams and their travel. The teams grew so much that one conference creator invited the students to be the first ever to come to this teacher-only conference. The projects they presented were so good that someone suggested they patent their work. Branscum then recognized the power of the team approach and left the classroom to start OK Geo Team.
To what extent do factors like conflicts and where you grew up mediate your cultural identity? Presenter Davona Blackhorse, a graduate student at Northern Arizona University, explained her ongoing research on this topic. A Qualtrics survey was distributed to 500 Indigenous students and professionals to determine ethical/cultural/spiritual conflicts they may have encountered in STEM disciplines. Cultural identity was determined from multiple factors, including information regarding where the participants grew up and how they describe and identify with their Indigenous culture, using a list of questions like “I learn from Native community elders” and “I can identify important leaders for my tribe.” Blackhorse presented a series of slides summarizing the findings so far, including the fact that overwhelmingly respondents said they believe there are unique concerns for Natives and they’ve found both advantages and disadvantages to being an American Indian/Alaska Native in STEM careers. Blackhorse and her fellow researchers are following up on the survey with individual interviews of a subset of Indigenous students and scholars to determine the extent to which these conflicts are mediated by cultural identity.
