Ely S. Parker Award

Ely S. Parker Award

Nominations must be received by Midnight (MDT) on June 30, 2024

This award, named for Ely S. Parker (Seneca), recognizes exceptional Indigenous leaders who clearly embody the AISES mission through their achievements and contributions to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The AISES Board of Directors is responsible for selecting one award winner annually. Members of the AISES Board of Directors, officers, and staff are not eligible.

The Ely S. Parker Award is the highest award bestowed by AISES, given in honor of the first recognized Native American engineer. Born “Ha-sa-no-an-da” in1828 on the Tonawanda (Seneca) Reservation near Buffalo, New York, Parker went on to earn an engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. During his lifetime, he made many important civil engineering contributions and was a Chief of the Seneca Nation and a Union Army General.

Eligibility Criteria

Nominees must be experienced Indigenous professionals who have made significant contributions to one or more STEM fields. AISES membership and a history of engagement with the organization is required. To be eligible for this award, nominees must have 25 years or more of professional work experience. As AISES most prestigious award, the Ely S. Parker Award is considered a lifetime achievement award and thus nominees must have demonstrated achievements throughout their lifetime that clearly embody the AISES mission of substantially increasing the representation of Indigenous peoples of North America and the Pacific Islands in STEM studies and careers. Those nominees not meeting the criteria will not be considered.

The nominee will be evaluated on the following criteria:

1. Contribution to AISES and its mission;
2. Contribution to and impact on the Indigenous STEM community;
3. Uniqueness and innovativeness of his/her/their contributions;
4. Scope and level of responsibilities;
5. Ability to overcome challenges in his/her/their field;
6. Potential as a role model; and
7. Overall quality of the nomination package.

Nominations must be received by Midnight (MDT) on June 30, 2024.

Selection and Notification

The selected award winner and his/her/their nominator will be notified in mid-July 2024. The award winner is expected to accept the award in-person during the closing ceremony of the 2024 National AISES Conference on October 5, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Travel expenses to attend the ceremony are not covered by AISES.

Those nominees not selected will also be notified, along with their nominators, in mid-July 2024.

2022 Awardee
Dr. Wren Walker Robbins
(Mohawk)

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