AISES chapter wins top honors at national convention

November 14, 2018

The University of Alaska Fairbanks chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society received two national awards at the organization's annual conference last month.

The chapter won its seventh Stelvio J. Zanin Distinguished Chapter of the Year Award, and it won the Professional and Chapter Development Award for the second time since 1994. This year's conference was in Oklahoma.

“Our chapter has always had a culture of excellence and helping others,” said Bax Bond , AISES UAF chapter president. “We care about our members and want to show them what opportunities are available to them. AISES is more than just another club on campus. We are committed to helping our members become their best self as both a professional and as an Alaska Native person.”

At the 2018 conference, students Rachael Teter, from the village of St. Marys, and Roberta Walker, from Unalakleet, placed second in the undergraduate research competition. They studied how diet affects coho salmon growth in the Unalakleet River watershed.

Photo courtesy AISES. UAF chapter members gather with their awards at the American Indian Science and Engineering Society national convention, held Oct. 4-6 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. From left are Olga Skinner (advisor), Roberta Walker (Unalakleet), Ronin Ruerup (Fairbanks), Elton Chanar (Toksook Bay), Baxter Bond (Tununak), Alana Vilagi (Fairbanks), Rachael Teter (St. Marys) and Robby Strunk (Quinhagak).

“We didn’t realize we were being judged during our presentation,” said Teter. “We cracked jokes and had fun, so our passion for salmon shone through."

AISES provides professional development before members become working professionals. Almost all members have job offers before graduation. They learn communication, leadership, networking and public speaking skills.

"AISES UAF has provided me a place to bring my whole self as a Yup’ik STEM major and researcher," Teter said. "Belonging to the AISES UAF chapter has provided a place to feel empowered and understood on a level that no other group can offer.”

Before attending the national conference, Walker and Teter presented their research at the UAF chapter meeting. Bond and Alana Vilagi also presented their research, which provides a high-resolution look at fuel usage in Alaska homes.

“We make our meetings fun so that our members don’t feel like they are going to another class,” said Teter, who also helps lead the Troth Yeddha’ Dance Group, a Dene student dance group.

Giving back to the community has been part of the fabric of the chapter since its inception in 1989. AISES members often volunteer at campus and community events.

“Serving others allows us to share our story of AISES impacting different communities we are connected to,” said Bond, who is from Tununak.

The chapter's lunch meeting menu, which often features traditional and homemade food, is a point of pride for the club's 30 members. They often serve muktuk (whale skin and blubber), herring eggs, smoked salmon, spaghetti and moose soup.

“I was drawn to the free food at first and stayed because of the presenters and opportunities that I saw that wouldn’t be available to me anywhere else,” said Bond, who is the drum leader for the Iñu-Yupiaq Dance Group, an Iñupiaq and Yup’ik student dance group. “AISES helped me come out of my shell and learn how to talk confidently in front of people I don’t know.”