Opportunities to connect and learn abound at National Conference sessions.
For many conference-goers, opportunities to learn from session presenters sharing information on specialized topics is one of the best parts of a National Conference. Here’s a sample of just some of the many sessions attendees could choose from.
Computer Literacy
Presenter Jeffrey Gilchrist of the Oklahoma-based SageHawk Foundation spoke to the need to extend computer literacy to underserved populations, especially on reservations. Despite the proliferation of smartphones and other technology, many people cannot operate a computer beyond social media, texting, and gaming. This lack of computer skills, he said, is keeping people of all ages from employment, education, and fully engaging with a wider world. To address the computer literacy gap, SageHawk works to provide free training to those who have fallen behind the technological curve. Gilchrist views this as training for empowerment. “One of my first students was able to get a job using a computer,” he said. SageHawk is also in the process of teaming with Wells Fargo on promoting financial literacy, a major initiative of the bank.
Cybersecurity: What is cybersecurity? Are you talking about hackers?
According to presenter Vanessa Benally of consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, cybersecurity is a rapidly growing field and certifications like Security+, CISSP-ISSEP, and CSSPP really matter for IT professionals. She pointed to Norwich University as one highly ranked program that offers online courses in information security. Urging attendees to be aware of security in all their devices, including those they carry around, the apps they use, and email, she pointed out that cybersecurity makes sense from a Native American perspective because “we are all about protection and security.” She explained the foundations of cybersecurity as a “classic CIA triad”: C=Confidentiality (data is private, limited access); I=Integrity (data is retained unchanged); A=Availability (data is accessible, ready). She cautioned that for many Native Americans, their smartphone is their only computer but as the population skews younger, they will be likely to have multiple social media accounts and less awareness of the reasons to protect themselves online. To illustrate confidentiality, she gave the example of the code talkers. After Cherokee, Choctaw, and Comanche code talkers took part in World War I, the Japanese and Germans sent students to the U.S. to learn those languages. In World War II, the Marines turned to Navajo code talkers for a more secure language. The code talkers could memorize messages to maintain code secrecy, and the code was unbreakable, which was necessary to maintain the accuracy of the message as it was transmitted. At the Battle of Iwo Jima, six Navajo code talkers transmitted 800 messages without an error — they could translate three lines of English in 20 seconds, compared to 30 minutes for the code-breaking machines of the day. To keep up with the field of cybersecurity, Benally recommended thecyberwire.com.
Forestry Fun with Phone Apps and Project Learning Tree Activities
Don Motanic of the Intertribal Timber Council presented a hands-on way to identify virtually any plant with the free app PlantNet, which has a catalog of plants from all over the world. Attendees had an opportunity to download the app and use it with photos on a session handout. The app’s catalog is being expanded to include medicinal plants and some tribal languages. Motanic contrasted the app with what has been done in recent times to ID plants using paper plot sheets and field calculators, which have improved significantly over time but now cell phones offer substantial computing power at relatively low cost. The presenter also covered available internships, scholarships, tuition waivers, and stipends and pointed out that opportunities in forestry include a diverse range of endeavors like woodworking, watershed management, and maple syrup production.
Health Professions Panel Discussion
The panel was presented by members of the Association of American Indian Physicians, including Dr. Amy DeLong (family medicine and MPH), Dr. Ken Bernard (emergency medicine and MBA), Dr. Bret Benally Thompson (family medicine and palliative and hospice care), and Steven Just (doctor of pharmacy candidate). In an effort to address the disparity in health care providers, panelists talked about what got them into medicine and their respective professional roles. Dr. Bernard said of emergency care, “We take care of some of the most vulnerable. My profession is excellent because I work at the front end of care. I also earned an MBA so medicine wouldn’t be run by people who were not in the field.” Another panelist pointed out that family medicine is the opposite — it covers front end, back end, and everything in between. “I see people making mistakes at every stage of life,” he said. Steven Just pointed out, “Pharmacy is a lot more than what you see at the drugstore. Pharmacy is right there taking care of patients, especially in hospitals, and there is a great need in the Indian Health Service.” Dr. Benally Thompson explained that he was a nontraditional med student who started training at age 40. “If you want to do something,” he said, “only two people can take it away from you: you and the Creator. It’s such a privilege to be a physician. You are a keeper of stories.” Dr. DeLong closed with the thought, “Natives make up less than 1 percent of the physician workforce, but as I look around this room, I’m inspired. That disparity will change.”
KAIROS Blanket Exercise
Presenters Prairie Rose Seminole and Montoya Whiteman led participants in the KAIROS Blanket Exercise. This facilitation process model was developed in Canada as a teaching tool where Indigenous and non-Indigenous people interactively participate in a 500-year history lesson. In this workshop participants reflect on their own personal journey and cultural experiences, and that reflection can be emotionally and intellectual revealing. The blanket exercise illustrates the impact of colonization from contact to the contemporary period. The workshop ends with a talking circle where participants share their thoughts and experiences in a confidential and supportive environment. Participants emerge with new perspectives, new narratives, and a newfound ability to change the future when it comes to promoting intercultural understanding, interpersonal growth, and respect for the history of nations.
Indigenizing Science and Reasserting Indigeneity in Research
This session was a panel discussion addressing the differences between Western science and traditional ways of knowing, and how integrating the two adds to and elevates research. Panel members spoke about their forthcoming peer-reviewed articles in a special issue on Indigenous science in the journal Human Biology, addressing issues of equity and research in communities. “Relationship building is an important component,” said a panelist. “Showing up to community events demonstrates to community members that you are serious. This is science by us and for us.” One panelist, Rene Begay, discussed her work on genetic research involving Navajo people. “The Navajo have an innate understanding of genetics because of traditional knowledge about breeding sheep for wool color. But our knowledge was not included in past studies. We have the ability to do these genetic studies for ourselves, in our own interests, and to advocate for our people.”
Indigenous Methods to Bridge Cultural Gaps
This panel of pre-college students and their moderator from Denver Public Schools discussed applying Indigenous methods of making observations and testing and refining approaches to interact more effectively with others at school and, eventually, in the workplace. Several shared personal experiences. Suggestions about things to say when you encounter conflict included the following: (1) We remember things differently, (2) If you continue to speak like this, I am not engaging, (3) I am stepping away, (4) We will talk about this later, (5) I hear you and that is not my experience, (6) I know my truth and I am not debating with you. In addition, they offered three tools to promote cultural understanding. (1) Inward: Prioritize the issues. Gain some perspective. Ask for clarification before engaging. (2) Outward: Avoid making the other person defensive. Don’t start with an inflammatory statement like “you are a racist,” but instead try an “I” statement like “I thought I heard you say...” (3) Afterward: Get ahead of potential future problems by incrementally engaging with a few students to create community. In cases of bullying, document examples with specifics such as date, actions, and what is being requested. Don’t forget that humor can be effective — so can food samples! The more people know about Native Americans, the more favorable the outcome will be. Native Americans have the ultimate moral authority because this is our land.
Kanata, eh?: A panel on contemporary understandings of Indigeneity in Canada
Chaired by panelist Jamie Ricci from the nonprofit Indspire, the panel addressed what it means to be Indigenous in Canada. Following a brief historical overview, Matthew Dunn, from the University of Saskatchewan College of Engineering, pointed out that because identity is so complex, the panelists would speak only to their own experiences as Indigenous people who are also in AISES. They discussed the labels for Indigenous people and said that “Indigenous” is a more contemporary term than “aboriginal” or “Indian.” Melanie Howard of Queen’s University in Ontario pointed out the collective term “First Nations” does not include the distinct Métis Nation, whose members are found mostly in British Columbia and the Prairie Provinces, or the Inuit people of Northern Canada. The constitution of Canada recognizes those three groups as Indigenous Peoples with rights under Canadian law; reflecting this legal standing, FNMI is an acronym in popular use. When discussing how being Indigenous has influenced her experience in STEM, student Brielle Thorsen said, “I’m not just a student but most of all I am Cree. I’m a family member, caretaker for my family, and a healer for them and myself. I carry them with me and see how my engineering degree can help my community.” She added that as one of the few Indigenous students in STEM she feels she must always be on her best behavior because “I’m cast as an ambassador.” Another panelist pointed out that “we are not all the same but we are coming together to maintain who we are.”
Lego Serious Play
Led by Carolyn Jurca from Intel Corporation, this session was hands-on fun rather than an informative lecture. Presenters began by dumping a large collection of miscellaneous Lego pieces in a wide range of sizes on each table of eight participants. Then the presenters gave an assignment, such as building a bridge. The variety of bridges at each table was interesting as there was a marked contrast between the fanciful bridges and bridges where stability was the goal. Some even included Lego figures and each person told a story about their creation, which might include a back story about the Lego people on the bridge. Lego building assignments became increasingly imaginative and fun to execute during the session.
The Life and Culture of Honeybees
Honeybees were brought to North American by Europeans, and as presenters Dr. Holly Schaeffer and Dr. Ken Poff told it, some bees escaped and the Natives knew when colonists were approaching because they encountered “stinging flies” a few miles ahead of them. Attendees learned that one-third of our food is dependent on pollinators for 100 types of crops. The widespread use of pesticides and insecticides is having a severe effect on bees. Colony collapse disorder is caused by an accumulation of water-soluble poisons in the honey and non-water-soluble poisons in the wax. As worker bees chew the pollen to make the wax, they ingest poisons from the fields. A normal life span of a bee is 45 days, and the discussion included how bees reproduce and communicate: they indicate the location of nectar via a “waggle” dance that orients bees in relation to the sun. They make a correction for the time it takes them to get back to the hive and how much the sun will have moved. When bees are overcrowded or the temperature changes, they will swarm and use group intelligence to find a new home. When 50 or so bees come back with the same new location, they set off together. When the swarm flies, they lock together to carry the queen bee, who is not able to fly.
Make a Masterpiece — Why Scientists Need Art!
Presenter Dr. Ruth Pickett Seltner, from Mount Royal University in Canada, started from the premise that the study of art helps scientists really see, think, and talk about what they perceive. Creativity is important in science, and art fosters a non-linear approach to problem- solving. She showed slides giving examples from both art and science that in some cases were very similar. One showed an optical illusion that depicts both an old woman and a very young woman, depending on perspective. Attendees then broke into pairs with one member describing what was shown on the screen, and the other trying to draw what was described, which made for an engaging exercise.
Opening Doors to the USDA/Agricultural Research Service Labs
Dr. Craig Wilson, director of the USDA Future Scientists Program, emphasized that the focus of the ARS Labs is environmentally sensitive agricultural production. He pointed out that only 1/32 of all land is used for agriculture, so it’s important to research efficient methods and protect productivity. He gave the innovative example of impeding the migration of destructive screwworms by releasing sterile screwworms in their path northward. He explained that a current ARS focus is the collapse of honeybee colonies, and that much progress is being made researching contributing factors like mites, diet diversity, neonicotinoid insecticides, and insecticide drift across agricultural fields.
Pamunkey’s Heritage Farming Project
Virginia’s first Native American extension educator, Dr. Warner Orozco discussed his work with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe in developing natural resource management, researching and implementing alternative agri-business methods for tribal land, and promoting cultural rescue and outreach. He differentiated traditional farming (intercropping several crops in one area) from Euro-colonial methods (straight rows of one crop) and made the point that intercropping is much more efficient: colonists would get 40 bushels of wheat/acre, while intercropping melons, corn, squash, etc., would yield 200 bushels, enough to feed a family for a year with minimal work. When he arrived as an extension agent, he was encouraged to plant cotton, soybeans, and wheat on fields sprayed with insecticides that killed the beneficial soil creatures. Instead he secured a grant to plant raised gardens fertilized with compost and intercropping plants in the traditional way, which was dramatically more productive. During his session Dr. Orozco discussed many heritage plants, but his description of tobacco as a “cell phone to the spirits,” motioning as if he were guiding the smoke as it ascended with intercessions, was especially memorable.
Science and Technology That Changes the World
Representatives from several Department of Energy locations, led by Tony Baylis of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, teamed up for this session. They described their facilities and the internships, research stipends, and other opportunities available. They said that the DoE facilities are often far beyond what students will find at a university, which attracts other bright people who are inspiring to work with. Many programs cross-train staff and their work is multidisciplinary, including such areas as metallurgy, statistics, physics, climate science, and virtually every engineering discipline. They offered some examples of initiatives including smart buildings that use energy efficiently, hydrogeology (ground water contamination), energy grid integration, cybersecurity, 3-D printing, and legacy management (overseeing maintenance and monitoring of facilities like post-closure uranium sites nearing the end of their useful lives).
Turning Conflict into Results
Presenter Heather Heckler from General Motors pointed out that handling conflict is essential, and how you do it is integral to your personal and professional “brand.” The session included a discussion of the types of conflicts (positional, personality, historical) and the stages of escalation, with tables of possible approaches and conflict positions (negative vs. positive, passive vs. aggressive), with a principal takeaway being that “I” messages are very helpful. The session broke into groups for “hands-on” role-playing of conflict management skills.
Ride and Drive
Shiny vehicles are hard to resist, and some lucky conference-goers were able to snag a hands-on experience with famous Fiat Chrysler rides. Company representatives brought a variety of their popular vehicles — from the versatile Jeep Truck and Jeep Wrangler to the formidable Dodge Ram and Dodge Challenger and the Chrysler Pacifica and sleek Alfa Romeo Stelvio — for a limited number of students to “ride and drive.” The students were able to choose a vehicle and drive along a preplanned route. Along the way the test-drivers picked up some insights on how the state-of-the-art engines work and why engineering the next generation of safe, efficient Fiat Chrysler vehicles is a great career.
Wells Fargo Financial Education Information Session
Led by AISES staff members Ruth BlackHawk Cameron, Dr. Kathy DeerInWater, and Marsha Whiting, this session explained the Native Financial Cents curriculum that AISES has adapted from the Wells Fargo personal finance curriculum. The goal of the program is to enhance the financial capability of Native youth and, ultimately, Native professionals. Designed so that Native students can better relate to the material, the adaptation is supported and funded by Wells Fargo with a two-year grant (the first year was for curriculum development; the second for implementation). The result of the first year has been life-stage-appropriate curriculums for elementary, middle school, and high school with teachers’ guides offering techniques, approaches for different learning styles, and lesson plans. The goal of this session was to recruit 25 ambassadors to implement the curriculum in communities by recruiting 50 teachers and others in the field (there will be training and a stipend). Prospective ambassadors can be college students, chapter leaders, community members, or Native educators.
