Our History

AISES Timeline

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Special note: The current staff at AISES worked very hard to create this timeline in consultation with previous executive directors and others long affiliated with AISES. Please note we tried our best to capture the 40-year history of this extraordinary organization accurately. However, we may have mistakenly omitted milestones or important people and/or contributions. If this is the case, we offer our humble apologies and welcome comments to be sent to our communications team at communications@aises.org. We hope we have at the very least captured many of the key highlights for our AISES family.

1975

George Thomas and Jerry Elliott form the National Society of American Indian Engineers (NSAIE) in Oklahoma.

1976

A.T. Anderson, AI Qöyawayma, and Carol Metcalf Gardipe form the American Indian Engineering Council (AlEC) in New Mexico.

1977

The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) is officially created during a meeting at Winthrop Rockefeller Center/Winrock, Arkansas. AI Qöyawayma will become the Founding Chairman and A.T. Anderson (Andy) the founding Executive Director. AISES receives its IRS tax exempt status and conducts its first membership drive.

1978

AISES conducts its first membership meeting at Cal State/Los Angeles to develop the organization’s bylaws. AISES emerges onto the national scene at the Minorities in Engineering Symposium, sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences. AI Qöyawayma presents “Our Challenge: The American Indian Engineer.”

1979

First Annual Conference held in Tempe, Arizona. AISES receives a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to set up a fulltime office in Naugatuck, Connecticut, A.T. Anderson’s home. The code for Student Chapters is established and Clarkson University in New York becomes the first chapter, followed by the University of Oklahoma, and Northern Arizona University.

1980

AISES becomes the first minority group to become a member of the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES), an umbrella for recognized engineering organizations. The 2nd Annual Conference is held in Denver. For the first time, AISES students from the east and west meet and the “AISES Family” concept is first used to describe AISES’ membership body.

1981

AISES scholarship fund is established. Louis Pakiser/ USGS becomes first scholarship donor. AISES receives its first major grant from the U.S. Department of Education (FIPSE) to bring science fairs to American Indian students in elementary and secondary schools. More than 10,000 teachers and Indian student participate in the three-year project. Teacher training program begins.

1982

The Ely S. Parker award is established to recognize distinguished service to the Indian community and the professional achievements of American Indian scientists and engineers. A.T. Anderson is posthumously awarded the first Ely S. Parker award. As the result of his personal charisma and deep devotion to Native youth he becomes known as the “Father of AISES.”

1983

Norbert Hill becomes Executive Director and AISES relocates to Boulder, Colorado. AISES establishes the Corporate and Government Advisory Boards. A Hopi Morning Kachina is created for AISES by the Dukepoo family (first elder advisors) and becomes part of AISES collection of sacred (cultural) objects, including the AISES Eagle Staff, that travel with AISES to its conferences and significant events. Eddie Box, Sr., Henrietta Mann, Bow Lane, Phil Lane, Horace Axtell, and Andrea Axtell become supporting elders for AISES. The collection of sacred objects will continue to grow in number and be cared for by the Elders, the AISES staff, and the AISES student representatives.

1984

AISES creates the Regional Governors program and the Sequoyah Fellowship program is established.

1985

AISES conducts the first Leadership Training Conference for American Indian college students at the Mountain Bell Training Center in Denver, Colorado. The Stelvio J. Zanin Distinguished Chapter Award is established and the University of Montana student chapter receives the first award. AISES Publishing, Inc. (API) is created to produce a quarterly magazine, Winds of Change.

1986

AISES Publishing, Inc. produces the first issue of Winds of Change Magazine.

1987

Student chapters increase from 1 in 1979 to 40. AISES begins a historic dialogue series to bring together Indians from every recognized tribe and urban area to discuss education for American Indian youth. It is the first national effort which involves grassroots tribal members in the shaping of math and science education policy. The outcome of the series will be used to shape academic preparation and school reform programs. The 9th Annual Conference is held in Seattle and AISES commemorates its ten-year anniversary.

1988

AISES establishes the National American Indian Science and Engineering Fair (NAISEF).

1992

AISES Leadership Conference is held at US West in Colorado. The AISES Council of Elders is formalized at the Leadership Conference.

1994

AISES establishes the Outstanding Service Awards.

1995

The first Winds of Change College Guide is produced.

1997

The First Regional conferences are held.

1998

AISES creates its website: www.aises.org. Suzanne Benally serves as interim Executive Director. AISES national headquarters moves from Boulder, Colorado to Albuquerque, New Mexico and Sandra Begay becomes the Executive Director.

1999

The first AISES golf tournament featuring Notah Begay lll takes place.

2000

Everett Chavez becomes Executive Director.

2002

AISES Board Member, John Herrington, becomes the first tribally enrolled American Indian to travel in space. Teresa Gomez becomes Executive Director.

2003

AISES establishes the AISES Foundation. AISES creates the STEP Program.

2004

Pamala M. Silas becomes Executive Director. The AISES Professional of the Year program is launched with Mr. Richard “Savic” Glenn as the first Professional of the Year awardee. AISES loses two beloved AISES elders, Phil Lane Sr. and Bow Lane. The Phil Lane Sr. “Brown Bear” Endowment is established. Teaching Relevant Inquiry Based Environmental Science (TRIBES) Program is established and funded for six years in partnership with Bemidji University. AISES 26th Annual Conference is held in Alaska the first time ever outside of the contiguous United States.

2006

Cecilia and Stan Lucero, and Phil Lane Jr. join the Council of Elders.

2007

AISES conducts its first fundraising cruise to Alaska. The National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering Degrees (NCOURAGES) is created in partnership with the GEM Consortium. AISES mourns the loss of beloved elder, Dr. Lee Piper. Membership shifts to majority professionals with 52% professional/48% college students. Laurence Brown becomes Chair of the Corporate Advisory Council. James Daugomah, Amanda James, and Noller Herbert become Co-Chairs of the Government Advisory Council. AISES holds an open house to display its new national office and the unveiling of IBM major donation of network and computer upgrade worth over $90,000. Dr. Karletta Chief and John Herrington are selected to serve as AISES 30-year anniversary spokespersons.

2008

AISES launches its 30-year anniversary year-long campaign to increase public awareness including AISES collector trading cards, and posters featuring Al Qöyawayma’s art; a digital 30-year timeline, documentary video of AISES founders, and a webcast from the National American Indian Science and Engineering Fair. Sequoyah Fellows Membership grows to 1,000. AISES loses Mary Ross who leaves a financial bequest to AISES. The Google Scholarship is created with Google donating $100,000 for Computer Science and Computer Engineering students. The AISES Chapter Awards program is expanded to five categories including the Stelvio J. Zanin Chapter of the Year Award.

2009

AISES dissolves its Foundation and assets are merged into AISES’ existing 501c3 corporation. The Exxon Mobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp (EMBHSSC) is launched at the University of New Mexico. The Intel Scholarship is created and focuses on technical and leadership accomplishments and interest in computer science. Seven students are awarded scholarships totaling $50,000. The AISES mission is expanded to be more inclusive of all North American Indigenous peoples including Native Hawaiians and First Nations people.

2010

Winds of Change magazine is redesigned and relaunched creating management oversight from the AISES national office. Pamala M. Silas, the Executive Director, becomes Chief Executive Officer reflecting the increase in responsibilities. AISES launches a major gifts program called “Pathfinders” with contributions for a feasibility study from Boeing and IBM. Boeing makes the lead gift of $500,000. Motorola funds a new program called “PowerUp Science” that introduces the scientific method to K-12 students. AISES mourns the loss of beloved elder Franklin Kahn.

2011

AISES hosts the Intertribal Middle School Science Bowl with a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The AISES Professional Chapters Council is created with Rita Peterson and Nadine Sharp as Co-Chairs.

2012

AISES received the San Manual Tribe Yawa’ Award including a $50,000 contribution. Faith Spotted Eagle becomes a member of the Council of Elders. AISES loses longtime spiritual leader and AISES elder, Edward Bent Box, Sr.

2013

Sarah EchoHawk becomes Chief Executive Officer and the Colorado Field Office opens in Longmont, Colorado. AISES redesigns and launches its new website.

2014

AISES debuts the National American Indian Virtual Science and Engineering Fair (NAIVSEF). AISES receives $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation for “Lighting the Pathway to Faculty Careers for Natives in STEM” to prepare Native students to enter tenure track.

2015

Beloved AISES Elder, Horace Axtell, passes. AISES, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), collectively serving more than 85,000 pre-collegiate, collegiate, and professional members form the 50K Coalition to produce 50,000 diverse engineering graduates annually by 2025. AISES receives grant support from Comcast/NBC Universal to produce two public service announcements. Bret and Antoinelle Benally Thompson join the Council of Elders.

2016

AISES receives $1.32 million contribution from Intel to support scholarships for Native Americans. The National Science Foundation (NSF) awards grants to two collaborative initiatives for which AISES is a partner. The grant awards are part of the NSF’s INCLUDES Program, a comprehensive initiative to enhance U.S. leadership in science and engineering by broadening participation in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). AISES is awarded a four-year $700,000 grant from the Department of Education. API and AISES receive a five-year $500,000 contract with the Department of Interior for the Energy Challenge. The public service announcements created with funding from Comcast/NBC Universal are launched with over $1.6 million in pro bono airtime. AISES assumes internal control of the planning and execution of its national conference and no longer relies on external event planning support. National conference revenue exceeds $1.3 million and AISES annual revenue exceeds $5.4 million. Dr. James May, former AISES Board member, joins the Council of Elders.

2017

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service (IHS), announces a five-year partnership with AISES, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), and the Native Research Network (NRN) to support an Annual National Native Health Research Training (NNHRT) Conference. AISES receives $1 million to support the project. The annual Leadership Summit is financially supported by the Gila River Indian Community and held at the Tribe’s resort, Wild Horse Pass in Arizona. The Canadian Indigenous Advisory Council (CIAC), and the Tribal Nations Advisory Council (TNAC) are established. AISES assumes in-house management of the AISES Publishing, Inc. and its magazine, Winds of Change, and creates a new annual listing of the “25 Native STEM Enterprises to Watch” debuting in the fall 2017 issue. AISES and the Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation launch the first annual Native Links Golf Classic to benefit Native youth programming. AISES now has over 4,000 individual members, over 1,300 Lifetime Sequoyah Fellows, 158 high school affiliated chapters, 190 college and university chapters, 15 professional chapters, a staff of 18, with national conference participation projected to well exceed 2,000 participants and projected annual organizational revenue of $5.5 million.

2018

 The AISES Leadership Summit is held in Alpine, California. Matika Wilbur (Swinomish/Tulalip) is the opening keynote speaker and creator of Project 562 - the mission which is to photograph and collect stories of Native Americans from each federally-recognized tribe in the United States. Through her lens, we are able to see the vibrancy and diversity of Indian Country and in seeing we challenge stereotypical representations and begin shifting consciousness about contemporary Native America. AISES National Conference returns to Oklahoma City after many years to record attendance. Cheryl McClellan receive the 2018 Ely S. Parker Award. In December 2018, three-time pueblo governor and former AISES executive director, Everett Chavez passed away. AISES Council Elder Dr. James May from the United Keetowah Band of Cherokee Indians left this earthly realm to reside in the spirit world with the ancestors. 

2019

The AISES Leadership Summit is focused on honing strategies to enable STEM professionals and emerging leaders in STEM fields to think proactively about their goals. This annual gathering focuses on the core competencies and capacities of individuals. It stimulates participants to think about their responsibilities and the impact of their work and studies on the global STEM community. It enables participants to stop, think, and plot their incredible life journey, and it supports them as they process the lessons and opportunities they come away with. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians sponsored the 2019 AISES Leadership Summit March 14–16 in Cherokee, North Carolina. The Qualla Boundary, the official name of this sovereign nation’s land, is adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in western North Carolina. Participants arrived from Canada and 31 states. Over 260 students and professionals, including advisors and chaperones were part of the 2019 summit.

2020

In a year like no other, the 2020 American Indian Science and Engineering Society National Conference stands out as a singular event.  After months of navigating a changing and uncertain COVID reality, the AISES team managed to offer a high-quality virtual event on October 15-17 to more than 2,500 registered participants -- the largest number of attendees at any AISES conference. Like every National Conference, this 42nd annual event provided a wealth of resources for professionals and students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), delivering on the conference theme, "Achieve, Inspire, Support, Explore, Succeed."

2021

The Winds of Change Magazine celebrates 35 years.