People who grow up in a strong family that’s grounded in tradition are doubly fortunate, and Solomon Vargas Jr. knows how lucky he is. “I am blessed to come from a big family who take part in our traditional ways,” he says. He grew up in Canton, a small community — population 464 — in northwestern Oklahoma, where his family owns three houses next to each other on their tribal land. “My late great-grandmother Ida Lena Nibbs Williams and the late Kenneth Williams raised 13 kids and held many ceremonial sweats and peyote meetings at our family homeplace for many years,” Vargas explains.

As opportunities in technology expand, more Native students are pursuing careers in computer science (CS). According to the NSF, Indigenous people, especially those who identify as Native women and two-spirit individuals, are currently underrepresented in the field. To understand what promotes — and what hinders — persistence in undergraduate CS programs, a team from AISES and TERC, a nonprofit focused on promoting equal access to STEM learning opportunities, conducted research.

A new study looks at how giving back helps undergraduates stick with a challenging major

By Christina B. Silva, Dr. Nuria Jaumot-Pascual, Dr. Maria Ong, and Dr. Kathy DeerInWater

The newly chartered American Indian Academy of Denver (AIAD) and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) successfully held an afterschool computer science event on August 26 at the Denver Indian Center. 

Here’s where to look for strong potential career growth

In December 2018, AISES program officers hosted a workshop with close to thirty middle-school children from the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians reservation located in northern California.

I’ve always been curious about how things work. In high school, I got my first look behind the scenes at the technical side of one of my passions: video games.

Nationwide, there’s a call to broaden participation in computer science — with good reason. The lag in computer science knowledge is especially critical in rural America, where even many blue-collar jobs now require substantial computer skills. Native Americans in rural communities are far less likely than their peers to have access to advanced STEM courses. What’s more, they often lack access to a reliable internet connection outside school.

When you think of careers in cybersecurity, do you picture fighting cyber threats with Mission Impossible cyber feats? Those slick scenes from Hollywood studios may get attention, but the reality can be even more compelling. While the term “cybersecurity” is relatively new, measures like firewalls, user authentication, and information assurance are long-standing industry protections. What’s different now is a renewed emphasis on security, resulting in stronger defensive infrastructure and more sophisticated offensive attacks.