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"American Indian Science & Engineering Society 24th Annual National Conference, November 7-10, 2002, in Tulsa, Oklahoma"

TULSA, OK - Nurturing tomorrow's tribal leaders, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) will hold its 24th annual national conference at the Tulsa Convention Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from November 7-10, 2002. The conference theme is "Engineering Success: Honoring Native Traditions & Family." More than 2,500 participants are expected to attend this year's event, including approximately 250 high school students, representatives from U.S. corporations, government agencies, tribal leaders, native elders, college students, educators and other professionals eager to enhance and share their knowledge. Conference planners project the national event will bring thousands of visitors and an estimated $2.4 million in revenue to Tulsa area businesses.

AISES' premiere event, the conference's goal is to encourage, cultivate and celebrate American Indian and Alaskan Native participation in science, technology and engineering. The four-day conference will host a variety of informative activities, including panel discussions and workshops for students, teachers and professionals, as well as a career fair and exhibit hall.

Conference Topics
Leadership, Indian entrepreneurship, natural resource management, community-based education, and research and work opportunities are some of the topics that will be presented during the conference.

Career Fair
A conference highlight, the career fair includes corporations, universities, and tribal, state and federal agencies, that will recruit and answer questions regarding employment and educational opportunities. Employment and educational interviews will also be conducted.

Traditional Dinner and Scholarship Banquet
Another focal point of the conference is the traditional dinner. The celebration dinner honors AISES scholarship recipients for their academic achievements and acknowledges scholarship donors for their generous contributions.

Powwow
A powwow, open to the public, will celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Native American Indian and Alaskan Native tribes. It will be held at the Tulsa Convention Center, Main Arena, on Saturday, November 9, from 8-12 p.m.

Sponsors
The 2002 AISES conference is made possible through the generous donations of the following sponsors: The Williams Companies, 3M, U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation, IBM, AT&T, General Motors, Lockheed Martin, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Williams Communications, Hewlett-Packard, U.S. Department of State, Lucent Technologies, Merck, Northrop Grumman, Honeywell, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and Kodak.

For more information about AISES and for conference registration and volunteer information, please visit the AISES website at www.aises.org or call 505-765-1052.

AISES is a non-profit organization that nurtures the building of community by bridging science and technology with traditional Native values. AISES' membership includes Native American students from more than 125 K-12 affiliate schools, 160 college chapters, professional chapters, corporate advisory council, government relations council, Sequoias and other constituents who share an interest in American Indian education. AISES coordinates student science competitions and distributes scholarships to qualifying students. To become involved or for more information, please visit the AISES web page, or contact the AISES headquarters, P.O. Box 9828, Albuquerque, NM 87119-9828, or call 505-765-1052.