Chuck Sams is well prepared. Thirty years of experience in tribal land management made him the ideal choice to be the first Native American director of the National Park Service (NPS) in December 2021. 

It began as an Indian taco stand at the annual Gathering at the Falls Pow Wow at Riverfront Park in Spokane, Wash. Today that taco stand has grown into two locations of Indigenous Eats, a restaurant co-owned by Yakama Nation member Jenny Slagle. She and her husband and business partner, Andrew, operate the two Spokane eateries, where they offer a menu of “Native American comfort food.”

When James LeMoine became one of the inaugural recipients of the Indigenous and Black Engineering/Technology (IBET) Momentum Fellowships in 2021, it marked a turning point. The fellowship — currently available to PhD students in engineering and computer science at 16 Canadian universities — not only offers significant financial support and opportunities to meet other Indigenous engineering students, it can also be a wake-up call for the institution. 

The stories told to us by our elders can sow seeds that flower for later generations. For Sky Harper, Navajo (Diné), stories told by his mother, Cassandra Begay, ignited a passion for learning that can help his people. He is of the Towering House Clan, born for the Red Running Into Water Clan. His maternal grandfather is of the Big Water Clan, and his paternal grandfather is of the Towering House Clan. His mother’s tales sparked a fascination with the natural world and motivated him to understand it by pursuing a wide-ranging discipline that comes with an opportunity to give back.

Caydence Palmer has good reasons to be optimistic about her future. A senior at Mescalero Apache High School, she is applying to her dream college — the University of Arizona — and hoping to enter the field of mechanical engineering. Palmer, who’s had opportunities to travel the world, to be the youngest student in advanced engineering classes, and to be the only Indigenous participant in her highly competitive NASA internship cohort, is used to breaking barriers. 

Are you ready for this year’s AISES National Conference? Join Indigenous STEM professionals and students from across the United States and Canada from October 19–21, 2023, in Spokane, Wash. Over the course of three days, you’ll have the chance to network with other professionals, learn new information that you can apply to your own career, and discover the many opportunities and programs offered through AISES. With so much to do and see, here are a few ways you can get ready for the conference.
 


The AISES National Conference in Spokane, Wash., is just a month away! It’s sure to be an exciting and impactful event as thousands of Indigenous STEM students and professionals from across the United States and Canada gather from Oct. 19–21 for three days filled with learning, networking, and celebrating their culture. There’s a lot to take in, and it can be overwhelming, so here are some tips to help you make the most of your time at the conference.

Roommates are an integral part of the college experience. Whether it's dorms, suites, or apartment rentals, roommates are bound to be there. First, it's important to recognize that for some students living at college may be their first time away from home. It’s a big transition from living with your family to living with a complete stranger. Here are five tips for getting along with roommates to make everyone’s experience safe, productive, and fun.
 
Communicate expectations 

Tobias-Jesiah Keohokapu found himself getting lost in the stars from a young age. Everything he’s discovered about astronomy since then, from learning about Polynesian wayfinding to studying special relativity and chaotic dynamics at college, has only increased his fascination. When he learned about the world travels of the Hōkūle’a, a double-hulled sailing canoe built as a modern replica of the vessels that brought the first Polynesian seafarers to Hawaii, he knew he had to study astronomy.

The newly established Indigenous Dental Association of Canada (IDAC) is one of the most prominent Indigenous-led initiatives addressing inequities in Canada’s oral health delivery. A 2017 report from the country’s auditor general found that First Nations and Inuit populations had nearly twice the rate of dental disease as non-Indigenous Canadians, partly due to geographical barriers, fewer dentist visits, and less access to nutritious food.