AISES members are extraordinary, and pausing to recognize the achievements and contributions of some outstanding individuals confirms our collective determination to forward the AISES mission.
ELY S. PARKER AWARD WINNER
The highest AISES honor, the Ely S. Parker Award is given to an educator, scientist, or engineer who has made a difference for Indigenous people, especially in the field of STEM education.
This year’s winner is Sequoyah Fellow Dr. Roger Dube, Mohawk Turtle Clan, professor emeritus and former assistant dean for undergraduate research and interdisciplinary programs at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), where he has fostered diversity and inclusion throughout his career.
He has been a leader in promoting undergraduate research at RIT, including directing the “Fast Forward” program for the College of Science, where first-semester freshmen conduct research with a faculty member. He also serves as director of research for the RIT Future Stewards Program.
Dr. Dube has spent 43 years (and counting) educating future scientists. He is currently developing a program at the University of Manitoba, Canada, to promote the participation of Indigenous people in STEM fields. Previously, he taught at the University of Michigan, the University of Arizona, and Yale University. Besides being a distinguished educator, Dr. Dube is an author, entrepreneur, mentor, former business executive, and researcher who holds 16 patents.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in physics from Cornell University, he went on to do graduate work in that field at Princeton, where he received a master’s and PhD. He is the former president, co-founder, and chief scientist of Digital Authentication Technologies and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Professional recognition for Dr. Dube includes research awards from the National Science Foundation, the Farash Foundation, the State of New York, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army, and NASA. He was the principal investigator of two three-year NSF Research Experience for Undergraduate grants focused on increasing Indigenous participation in STEM research. Dr. Dube’s research engaged Native students at a rate unequaled in any other REU physics program. Of the 14 students he worked with over the six years, 13 have gone on in STEM fields, including multiple graduate degrees.
At IBM, Dr. Dube filled various executive, scientific, and management roles leading large teams at multiple locations worldwide. He served as an executive in charge of technology commercialization for non- mainframe intellectual property and was a leader in the commercialization of the Atomic Force Microscope.
Native communities continue to benefit from Dr. Dube’s expertise. He is bringing his approach to problem-solving — combining entrepreneurship, biodiversity preservation, and health — to the Iroquois White Corn Project. The heirloom, non-GMO, high-fiber, high-protein, and low-glycemic grain is a historic staple of the Haudenosaunee diet. The goal of the project is to restore Iroquois White Corn to Native communities and beyond in collaboration with the Ganondagan State Historic Site in New York, once the location of the largest Seneca village.
AISES PROFESSIONAL AWARDS
ignificant contributions to the STEM workplace are the focus of the AISES Professional Awards, which are bestowed in several categories. Many amazing people are nominated by our members, and the winners are selected by a committee representing corporate, academic, government, foundation, and tribal AISES partners. To learn more about this year’s Professional Award winners, see the Fall 2019 issue of Winds of Change or click on the video links.
Professional of the Year
DR. WENDY F. SMYTHE
AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, hosted by the National Science Foundation
Most Promising Engineer or Scientist
DYLAN MORIARTY
Sandia National Laboratories
Technical Excellence
DR. OTAKUYE CONROY-BEN
Arizona State University
Blazing Flame
SHEILA LOPEZ
Intel Corporation
Indigenous Excellence
YONA WADE
Cherokee Central Schools
PARTNER SERVICE AWARDS
The AISES staff selects the Partner Service Award winners to honor those who have been exceptionally supportive of the organization. Strategic partners are enormously important to the AISES mission because they enhance and promote STEM education and careers, and foster the continued growth of the organization at a pace that would be impossible to achieve without them. Here are the 2019 recipients of the Partner Service Awards.
TRIBAL PARTNER SERVICE AWARD
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
FOUNDATION PARTNER SERVICE AWARD
Matt Morton, Meyer Memorial Trust
EDUCATOR PARTNER SERVICE AWARD
Nate Raynor, Mescalero Apache High School
CORPORATE PARTNER SERVICE AWARD
Rhonda James, Intel Corporation
GOVERNMENT PARTNER SERVICE AWARD
Duane Matt, Indian Affairs – Division of Energy and Mineral Development
NONPROFIT PARTNER SERVICE AWARD
Frieda McAlear, Kapor Center
COLLEGE CHAPTER AWARD WINNERS
STELVIO J. ZANIN CHAPTER OF THE YEAR AWARD » United Tribes Technical College
FUNDRAISING AND MARKETING CHAPTER AWARD » University of Oklahoma
OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY SERVICE CHAPTER AWARD » United Tribes Technical College
PROFESSIONAL AND CHAPTER DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER AWARD » McGill University
