New Mexico Tech Shows Strong Presence at National Conference

Oct. 27, 2022

American Indian Science and Engineering Society members to host regional conference in 2023

Students at AISES conference
Six of the eight New Mexico Tech students who attended the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) National Conference in Palm Springs, California, in early October pose for a photo. Top row, left to right: Taylor Yazzie, Jonnie Woody, Theryn Kee, and Kyle Mace. Bottom row, left to right: Isabel Bliner-Yazzie and Zora Tolino-Minefee.

SOCORRO, N.M. – Student members of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) from New Mexico Tech recently returned from a national conference energized for a year of activities aimed at supporting Indigenous students pursuing their degrees. New Mexico Tech’s AISES Chapter sent eight students to the 2022 AISES National Conference, held in Palm Springs, California, Oct. 6 to 8.

Eight AISES members at conference
Top row, left to right: Taylor Yazzie, Jonnie Woody, Daniel Belone, Kyle Mace, Theryn Kee. Bottom row, left to right: Isabel Bliner-Yazzie, Zora Tolino-Minefee, and Kailani Charlie. The students hold the AISES spirit stick after Region 3 won the stick for 2022-2023 at the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) National Conference in Palm Springs, California, in early October.

AISES nurtures the building of community on campus by bridging science and technology with traditional native values. AISES provides opportunities for American Indian students to pursue studies in science and engineering, business, and other academic areas. The annual national conference, which draws more than 2,000 attendees from across the country, features accomplished speakers, networking opportunities, research competitions, student awards, and cultural activities.

According to Jonnie Woody, senior and club vice president, New Mexico Tech students not only successfully represented the university at the conference, some of the students returned with job and internship offers and others received awards. Taylor Yazzie received two awards for her academic performance, and Woody was sponsored by Tech alumna Bernadette Tsosie to be a Sequoyah Fellow for 2023.  

Jonnie Woody, Bonnie Frey, Taylor Yazzie
Jonnie Woody, Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources geochemist and Chemistry Lab Manager Bonnie Frey, and Taylor Yazzie pose at the Palm Springs Convention Center, site of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) National Conference. 

New Mexico Tech AISES members also returned with enthusiasm for the many activities they are sponsoring on campus to help support and promote American Indians students in technical fields and contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion planning under the university’s strategic plan. The chapter will host Native American Heritage Day Saturday, Nov. 12, on the New Mexico Tech campus, featuring motivational speakers, small business owners and other vendors, a variety of academic and cultural activities, and a luncheon. Woody said this year’s event will be the first-ever Native American Heritage Day at New Mexico Tech. The club also will host the regional AISES conference March 24 to 26, 2023, at New Mexico Tech.

“We’re working on developing the AISES chapter, getting native kids out of their dorms,” she said. The club works on breaking down barriers for American Indian students when it comes to applying to college and graduate school. 

Three freshmen at AISES conference
Three freshmen pose with the spirit stick at the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) National Conference. From left: Isabel Bliner-Yazzie, Zora Tolino-Minefee, and Theryn Kee.

“I feel we’re a family,” she said. “When native kids go to college, it’s a big weight on their shoulders,” she said. Many come from single-income homes, some the first in their families to graduate from high school and/or college. 

Daniel Belone and Taylor Yazzie
Daniel Belone, left, and Taylor Yazzie staff the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) information table at the annual Club and Organization Fair held Aug. 25 during Weeks of Welcome. 

Another activity AISES is involved with is the Navajo Technical University-New Mexico Tech Navajo Nation Water Purification Project (N4WPP) joint endeavor to install water filtration equipment testing facilities on the Navajo Nation. AISES members also have participated in two focus groups sponsored by a Sloan Foundation grant aimed at identifying and removing barriers to students’ academic success. During Weeks of Welcome at the beginning of the fall semester, AISES members participated in the club and organization fair and held a sit-down welcome dinner for the more than 100 American Indian students on campus. The club meets weekly at 7 p.m. and sponsors monthly dinners for American Indian students. More information is online at: https://nmt.edu/clubs/aises/index.php