The 2020 AISES National Conference is a unique, three-day event focusing on educational, professional, and workforce development for Native Americans, Alaska Natives, First Nations, Inuit, Métis, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and other Indigenous peoples of North America. Attendees include Native high school and college students, educators, and professionals including representatives from Tribal Nations, Tribal enterprises, and Native owned businesses. The conference also includes the LARGEST college and career fair in the U.S. for Native students and professionals! Exhibitors at the College and Career fair represent a diverse range of corporations, educational institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, Tribes, and Native owned businesses.
The 2020 AISES National Conference will be held virtually October 15, 16, and 17, with pre-conference activities, including hackAISES (hackathon) and Boeing STEM Day for Native middle and high school students, on October 14.
Call for Session Proposals
AISES has opened the call for session proposals and encourages a diverse array of session presenters and STEM topics! If you have not yet presented at an AISES conference, we encourage you to submit a session proposal!
Sessions AISES is Specifically Seeking this Year:
While we encourage you to propose any session that fits well within one of our nine tracks and/or for Boeing STEM Day, this year we are also specifically seeking session proposals that address the topics listed under each track. We encourage sessions that are interactive, upbeat, and inspiring. Sessions that draw the largest attendance and best evaluations are those that include activities and audience participation. We encourage panel discussions that offer diverse insight and information. We have also found that attendees like “themed” sessions that drawn on contemporary pop culture (movies, music, etc.) to contextualize the content.
All sessions must fall into one of the following tracks:
Target audience includes: high school juniors and seniors
Sessions in the high school track are meant to raise awareness and inspire high school students to pursue college majors and eventually careers in STEM. Sessions should aim to expose students to various STEM opportunities, programs, and careers, and support students in discovering, pursuing, and sustaining their interest in STEM as they prepare for their college careers and beyond.
AISES Seeks Sessions that demonstrate:
- STEM Career Exploration (highlighting STEM career opportunities or possibilities)
- Yes! Computer Science is for You! (Encouraging students to pursue college degrees/careers in CS)
- Yes! Engineering is for You! (Encouraging students to pursue college degrees/careers in engineering)
- Applying to College (Tips / How-To when applying to college)
- Prepare for the College and Career Fair (How to prepare for the AISES college and career fair)
- Science of Music (Sound wave energy, musical instrument design, acoustic resonance, electronic amplification, etc.)
Target audience includes: undergraduate and graduate students
Sessions in the college track are meant to increase access to resources and success in STEM degree programs for Native college students. Topics could range from mentorship to preparing for graduate school and beyond.
AISES Seeks Sessions that demonstrate:
- How to Ace Your Job Interview (Job interview preparation)
- Should You go to Graduate School? (Information about graduate school/applying to graduate school)
- Faculty Careers in STEM (Information about opportunities/navigating pathways to faculty careers)
- Preparing for the College & Career Fair (How to prepare for the College & Career Fair/meeting potential employers/exploring graduate school opportunities)
- Evaluating Job Offers (How does one evaluate and/or negotiate a job offer)
- Transitioning from Campus to the Workforce (Help transitioning from student to professional such as interview tips, presenting your best self, etc.)
- Leadership Development (Personal and professional leadership development)
Target audience includes: professionals and AISES partners
Sessions in the professional track are meant to support Native professionals as they advance their careers in STEM. Topics could range from professional development, career opportunities, networking and opportunities to mentor and support Native students in STEM.
AISES Seeks Sessions that demonstrate:
- Executive Mentoring (How to obtain or provide mentorship)
- Managing Stress/Avoiding Burnout (Tips to help professionals handle stress and burn-out in their careers)
- Career Planning (Help professionals chart or plan their career path)
- Financial and Investment Management (How to manage finances or investments)
- Creating and Supporting Effective Teams
- Leadership Development (creating and advancing opportunity for others)
- Marketing Ourselves for Success (developing a successful image of ourselves)
- Building a network of support within your company (creating Native ERG)
Target audience includes: all students, professionals, and tribal business and entrepreneurs
Sessions in the STEM & business track are meant to explore the intersection of STEM and business and support all students, professionals, and Tribal Nations interested in developing STEM focused businesses, supporting entrepreneurship, or building STEM infrastructure within Tribal Nations.
AISES Seeks Sessions that demonstrate:
- Patent and Trademark (process, application, time considerations)
- Entrepreneurship (Access to Capital and/or Developing a Business Model)
- Utilizing / Supporting STEM in Tribal Communities
- Innovative Tribal or Native Owned Businesses
Target audience includes: all students and professionals
Sessions in this track are designed for all students and professionals with multi-faceted interests in education, advocacy services, research, or agricultural business. Sessions could have a focus in animal science, business management, fisheries management, climate change on agricultural practices, food, soil and forestry services, organic and aquaculture farming, and sustainable or traditional agricultural farming and practices including traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), and agri-business. Topics could also include environmental, economic and social factors that influence agriculture and that explores themes, problems and solutions, trends or careers that connect STEM to agriculture and agriculture related fields for Native American farmers, ranchers, and students.
AISES Seeks Sessions that demonstrate:
- Connecting Native American communities through traditional food, farming, and education
- Farming integrating math and science in curriculum and youth engagement
- Mathematical, scientific, technological or engineering applications
- Exploring traditions with food and agriculture-focused economy on American Indians
- Topics blending STEM education into farming
- STEM and it use in agricultural technology
- Provision of entrepreneurial education and concepts for classrooms connecting agricultural science to real life
- Models that enhance support for agriculture, ranching, natural resource management, forestry, and success stories from Native communities
Target audience includes: all students and professionals
Sessions in this track should be targeted for those participants who are currently engaged or interested in computer science; including artificial intelligence, computer systems and networks, security, database systems, human computer interaction, vision and graphics, numerical analysis, programming languages, software engineering, bioinformatics, theory of computing, as well as computer science/tech adjacent fields/careers.
AISES Seeks Sessions that demonstrate:
- Targeting people who haven’t thought about pursuing a major/career in computer science
- Non-technical career fields in computer science
- Beyond coding: careers in computer science
- Understanding computer science research
Target audience includes: all students and professionals
Sessions in this track will support research development, opportunities, and educational pathways in health sciences and health professional careers including traditional (Indigenous) health practices/knowledge. Best practices on American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) health and careers are requested that guides and supports any students to pursue health research, health professional careers and promotes collaborative research with AI/AN communities.
AISES Seeks Sessions that demonstrate:
- Successful programs designed for underserved AIAN populations
- Exploring educational pathways and careers in health sciences and medicine
- How to apply to medical school
- Expertise, experience, and explanation about research or changes in health policy and practices that reduce health disparities within AIAN communities
- Serving the community through education and outreach-based health science programs
- Funding resources, fellowships, and other sustainable measures that supports pathways to research training and careers
- Sustaining AIAN life through social, cultural, and spiritual balance
Target audience includes: K-12 educators
The purpose of the educator track is to provide content specifically for K-12 educators and support staff working primarily with Native students. Topics could range from securing teaching positions in Indian Country, culturally relevant curriculum, and supporting extra-curricular STEM activities for Native students.
AISES Seeks Sessions that demonstrate:
- Native Education Policy (K-12 and/or Higher Education)
- Effective Models for Supporting STEM in K-12
- Cultural relevant STEM education resources
Target audience includes: middle school and high school students and educators
AISES is also soliciting proposals for activities presented during Boeing STEM Day on Wednesday, October 14. STEM activities should be hands-on and engage attendees.
Examples of activities include
- Robotics demonstrations
- Jeopardy style science bowl
- Simple science experiments
- Engineering and design projects
Target audience includes: all conference attendees.
The purpose of this track is to promote and highlight STEM research conducted and presented by Native middle school, high school, undergraduate and graduate students and professionals.
To submit a research presentation visit: http://conference.aises.org/agenda/research
Session Logistics (Two options)
Sessions are scheduled for October 15, 16 and 17 (Thursday, Friday and Saturday).
Presentation style:
- Session Length: 50 minutes
- Informational with some interactions
Workshop style:
- Session Length: 1 hour and 40 minutes
- Activity focused with minimal lecture time
Each session room will be equipped with a projector, screen, presentation clicker, and Windows computer with internet access and connected to in-room sound system. Each room will also have a podium with microphone and head table with microphone and chairs. Bring all presentation materials on a flash drive or other USB storage device. Presentation laptops are not equipped with CD/DVD drives.
Boeing STEM Day Logistics
Boeing STEM Day interactive sessions are scheduled for Wednesday, October 14.
Interactive style:
- Activity Length: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Your activity will run for the entire Boeing STEM Day (12:00-4:00 pm), with breaks built-in to the four-hour time block. Your activity should be able to be repeated at least two times in a 4-hour time slot so that students are able to rotate amongst the various activities.
The STEM Day room will have a microphone to make announcements. Computers, electricity, and AV set-up are not available for these activities.
Required Information for Session Proposals
- Presenter’s contact information
- Presenter’s biography (BIO) of 100 words or less; written in 3rd person
- Session abstract (description) of 175 words or less
Timeline and General Information
- Deadline for submission of proposals:
June 19, 2020July 10, 2020 - Notification of acceptance begins:
July 2, 2020August 10, 2020
Presenters are invited to submit multiple proposals. For those that have presented at an AISES conference before, please propose a new session. Preference will be given to interactive, engaging, and innovative sessions.
Conference Logistics for Presenters
Conference presenters are responsible for their own travel, lodging, and related conference expenses. Conference registration is required. Each accepted session will receive up to two full conference registrations discounted by 50%, regardless of how many presenters are participating in the session. Discounted registration codes will be provided after sessions are selected and presenters are notified. All refunds are subject to the Cancellation and Refund Policy.
Online Submission Forms
The Online Submission Form is closed to new applicants.
For More Information
If you have any questions or concerns, please email: conference@aises.org.
