Founded in 1977, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society's (AISES) goal is to foster educational programs and strategies to increase the number of American Indian and Alaskan Native students in science, engineering, mathematics, and technology related disciplines by linking these fields with traditional Native values. Through AISES' "Full Circle of Support" philosophy, under-represented students are encouraged to contribute to the science and engineering workforce by gaining professional and technical skills learned as participants in sponsored internship programs. NSF will collaborate with AISES by offering placements to American Indian students in order to broaden their exposure to cutting-edge science and engineering research in various STEM fields. As a result, NSF encourages more students with diverse backgrounds to participate in the science and engineering enterprise, deemed vital to the future to the S&E workforce.
