AISES

10/06/2026

RFP Opportunity: AISES is seeking an executive search firm to assist in the search for its next President. Learn more at https://aises.org/request-for-proposal-executive-search-services/

Proposal deadline: October 16, 2026, at 12:00 PM MT.

09/30/2026

Today, we honor the Native children and families impacted by the boarding school era and the Native-led work continuing today to reclaim language, culture, knowledge, and community.

At the heart of that work is a powerful Indigenous value:

WE

For Indigenous communities, healing has never been an individual journey.

Our knowledge is shared. Our gifts are strengthened through relationships. And our individual achievements become contributions to something bigger: the collective.

That same spirit is at the heart of AISES.

For nearly 50 years, AISES has worked to increase Indigenous representation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). We are creating pathways for Indigenous students, professionals, educators, and communities to discover their gifts, build their futures, and bring their knowledge back to the collective.

🪶 When an Indigenous student finds their path in STEM, we all move forward.
🪶 When an Indigenous professional succeeds, they open doors for those coming next.
🪶 When we invest in Indigenous STEM, we invest in generations.

Support the AISES Family and help create more opportunities for Indigenous people to thrive in STEM at aises.org/support

The future is stronger when we build it together 🧡

09/28/2026

There's something for everyone at !

Explore this year's sessions, agenda, and register at conference.aises.org.

What are you most excited for?

09/24/2026

We are excited to be exhibiting at the 2026

Philanthropy has an important role to play in shaping the future of STEM, and that future must include Indigenous students, educators, professionals, and communities. Together, we can expand access, invest in opportunity, and help ensure Indigenous people are part of the innovations shaping our world.

Be sure to stop by our booth or learn more and support our work at https://give.aises.org/campaign/718766/donate

09/23/2026

✨Save the Date!✨

The 2027 AISES Canada National Gathering is coming to Winnipeg! Join Indigenous STEM students, professionals, educators, and leaders for three days of connection, culture, career-building, and big ideas.

🌿 Sacred Knowledge: Where Indigenous Wisdom Meets Innovation

📅 February 25–27, 2027
📍 RBC Convention Centre | Winnipeg, MB

And we want your knowledge in the room! Session proposals are now open! Share your expertise, stories, research, and ideas with the Indigenous STEM community.

🔗 Learn more and submit your session proposal https://aises.ca

09/15/2026

📚 Educators, this one’s for you!

Join us Saturday, October 17, in Portland, OR for a full day of learning, collaboration, and connection focused on supporting Indigenous students and strengthening PK–12 STEM education.

✨ What’s new this year:
• Two concurrent presentations each session
• Keynote from Dezi Lynn (Diné), National Indian Education Association
• 1 CEU opportunity through Fort Lewis College for educators who complete the full program
• Complimentary boxed lunches for the first 100 participants, thanks to The Lemelson Foundation

Educator Day is included with conference registration, and all educators are welcome!

Register for the AISES National Conference at conference.aises.org/attendees/registration

09/14/2026

For more than 13 years, Sarah EchoHawk has led AISES with resilience, vision, and care, and is now preparing to step down as President to begin her next chapter.

During her time at AISES, she helped build a stronger, more resilient organization and expand pathways for Indigenous students and professionals in STEM.

She will continue to lead AISES through the 2026 AISES National Conference in Portland before concluding her tenure in November.

As we look toward AISES’ next chapter—and our 50th year—we invite the AISES Family to join us in thanking Sarah for all she has given to our community.

Read the full announcement → https://www.aises.org/til-we-meet-again-a-leadership-transition-within-our-aises-family

Sarah, ‘til we meet again. 🧡

09/03/2026

It's the first-ever Wild Rice Week! Here's how one of our Indigenous scientists is using STEM to care for the rice 🌱

This week, Wisconsin is recognizing its first Wild Rice Week, highlighting the importance of protecting manoomin and the Indigenous communities who have stewarded it for generations.

Manoomin — one of the few grains indigenous to North America — is sacred to the Ojibwe. Yet in recent decades, wild rice beds across Ojibwe homelands have faced growing challenges, from changing water levels and climate patterns to pollution and habitat degradation.

STEM can play an important role in understanding and responding to those changes.

That’s where Josiah Hester, PhD, a Native Hawaiian scientist and AISES 2021 Most Promising Scientist, comes in. Through his Ka Moamoa Lab, Hester and his collaborators are using accessible, low-cost sensor technology to collect data on conditions affecting wild rice beds — including water temperature and depth, air temperature and humidity.

The goal isn’t to replace Indigenous knowledge with technology. It’s to bring knowledge systems together.

As Hester explains, the data can complement Indigenous knowledge and Western science, providing information that communities can use to make decisions and inform policy.

From harvesting traditions to sensors in the water, this work demonstrates what’s possible when Indigenous knowledge and STEM work together to care for the future.

Learn more about Dr. Hester’s work and discover how Indigenous innovation is helping address challenges facing communities and ecosystems at https://aises.org/profile/josiah-hester/

AISES Member Dr. Josiah Hester (Native Hawaiian) shows how low-cost tech combined with Indigenous innovation yields climate solutions.

08/26/2026

The first-ever medical school branch offering a Doctor of Medicine MD degree on the land of the Gila River Indian Community 👏🏾

"For too long, many of our young people who dreamed of becoming doctors had to leave home to pursue that goal. This partnership with the University of Arizona changes that. It gives them the opportunity to learn, train and build their careers right here in the Community, where they can make a real difference for the people they serve." -Stephen Roe Lewis, Governor of the Gila River Indian Community

Learn more:

A landmark partnership reflects a new approach to preparing physicians for Tribal, rural and medically underserved communities.

08/26/2026

We create joy. And at The Gathering, we did exactly that. 💜

AISES' AUNTIE Tech Collective retreat, The Gathering: Systems Rooted in Care, brought together AUNTIES (Indigenous tech professionals) and Future AUNTIES (postsecondary learners) for a powerful multigenerational experience.

Across technical sessions, restorative wellness activities, community events, and plenty of time to simply connect, we created space to learn, recharge, celebrate, and imagine the future of technology together.

AUNTIE is more than a program. It’s a multigenerational collective weaving together technology, culture, and community to support Indigenous womxn and girls in tech.

Are you an Indigenous womxn or girl in or pursuing tech and want to join the fun? Join the community! Not an Indigenous womxn or girl in tech but want to support? Sign up as a Friend of AUNTIE: https://aises.org/auntie-tech-collective/

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make The Gathering so special:

🎥 Angelica Lozano-Romines, for capturing the joy and creating this beautiful video
✨ Our incredible speakers and workshop presenters—Melody Lewis, Sarah Lincoln, Twofeathers Ortan , Paula Starr, Sal Kimmich, and Cas Stouder—for bringing such intention and brilliance to your sessions
🤝 OXDX ClothingOXDX Clothing, Photography by Roshan, and Talking Stick Resort for being phenomenal community partners
💜 And to all the AUNTIES, Future AUNTIES, and members of The Current and Rising Tide who co-created this space so beautifully

Through virtual community, online and in-person programs, events, scholarships, and opportunities across learning and career levels, we’re building a technological future with AUNTIES leading the way.