2008 National Conference

2008 AISES National Conference was held in Anaheim, California, October 30 -November 1 at the Anaheim Convention Center and Anaheim Marriott.

2008 National Conference Gemstone Sponsors

Turquoise Sponsors
Lockheed Martin
IBM
The Boeing Company
San Manuel Band of Mission Indians

Coral Sponsor
Northrop Grumman

Lapis Sponsors
3M
Chevron
Chickasaw Nation
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Pala Band of Mission Indians
Raytheon
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Navy
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Onyx Sponsors
Bonneville Power Administration
Central Intelligence Agency
General Dynamics Corporation
Goldman Sachs
Google
Intel Corporation
ITT
Johnson & Johnson
Sun Microsystems
T-Mobile
Walt Disney Parks & Resorts

2008 National Conference Highlights: A Universe of Opportunities
The 2008 AISES National Conference was an exciting celebratory climax to the year-long celebration of AISES’ 30 year anniversary. The 30th Annual National AISES Conference was held in Anaheim, California where the 1625 attendees enjoyed fabulous weather, exceptional speakers and special AISES anniversary content, in addition to Disneyland and other area attractions.

The conference theme was, “A Universe of Opportunities,” and indeed highlighted the many programs, events and opportunities that help AISES students attain their degrees and find meaningful careers, and support professional members with ongoing training, development and networking. Anniversary elements included a digital timeline of AISES’ 30-year history, and a special video presentation of four of AISES’ Founders that reflected on the organization’s past, present and future.

This year’s conference opened on Thursday Morning with the Opening Ceremony and keynote address by Olympic Gold Medalist, Billy Mills. Mr. Mills emphasized the importance of valuing the challenges we face during our journey to success and achievement as these experiences make us better versions of ourselves, and strengthen our resolve to achieve our goals. Mr. Mills underscored the importance of traditional values that teach us to value diversity, to respect each other, to demonstrate bravery, and exercise humility.

The conference also facilitated critical discussions around issues of sustainability, climate change and the challenges and opportunities facing tribal communities.

While celebrating the accomplishments of our professional and student members, AISES also looks forward to the future as we understand the enormous challenges that lay ahead. AISES members came together to affirm the importance and criticality of the AISES mission and the roles AISES members will play in shaping the next 30 years. These themes and concerns were reflected and discussed on Friday’s plenary session “STEM Needs Across Indian Country,” which included esteemed panelists, Principal Chief Chad Smith and Councilwoman Cara Cowan Watts of the Cherokee Nation; President of the Board of Directors of Pechanga Development Corporation Board, Amy Minniear; Director of Education Services for the Chickasaw Nation, Lori Hamilton; CEO of the Institute for American Indian Institute for Innovation, Stacy Phelps; and Retired USN Commander and NASA Astronaut John Herrington as moderator.

AISES proudly presented the fifth annual Professional Awards. The Most Promising Engineer of Scientist Award was presented to Nathaniel Todea, State Hydraulic Engineer for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Technical Excellence Award was presented to Jacklin Adams, Senior Technical Staff and Senior Engineer at IBM. The Executive Excellence Award was presented to CAPT Jeffrey Trussler, Deputy Director Submarine Officer Distribution for the U.S. Navy. The 2008 Professional of the Year was presented to Dr. Jason Cummings, semiconductor development engineer at IBM. Attendees listened to a personal and heartfelt presentation by Dr. Cummings.

This year’s conference offered over 40 concurrent sessions for educators, professionals and students. Career development topics were offered on Thursday to prepare attendees for the Career Fair experience on Friday. An on-site resume room, sponsored by Lockheed Martin, offered attendees an opportunity to enhance their resumes working one-on-one with professional recruiters. AISES also offered the Professional Development Workshops on Thursday which featured an inspiring session by CAPT Trussler entitled “Exploring Leadership Models.” AISES K-12 department offered a full agenda for pre-college students as well as a tour of the UCLA campus in partnership with UCLA’s SEEDS program and the UCLA AISES Chapter.

The National Conference served to remind us all of the rich existing talent and promising young scientists and engineers within the AISES family. The Conference also reminds us of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead and motivates us for the upcoming year’s work.

Special thanks to the 2008 Local Volunteer Committee: Mike Liu, Renita Brien, Randy Pico, Earl Naconie, Dawn Jackson, Linda Sue Liu, and Lisa Gover. AISES wishes to thank the local community members for their assistance and service on the local planning committee!

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this conference a success! Mark your calendars for the 2009 AISES National Conference, which will be in Portland, Oregon, October 29-31, 2009. Watch the AISES website for more details.

2008 National Conference Statistics

   
2008 conference attendance of 1625 was slightly lower than the overall 2007 attendance figure of 1785. 2008 attendance figures reflect an overall decrease of 9%, though. Student attendance was on par with 2007 student attendance numbers. The largest decrease in attendance was among professional members (14%) and exhibitors (10%). All states were represented by attendees with the exception of Hawaii. The largest attendance, given conference location and local community participation, was from California followed by Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Colorado, North Carolina, Minnesota, Washington, DC and Alaska.