November 19, 2003

Marta R. Metelko
Headquarters, Washington 
(Phone: 202/358-1642)

John Ira Petty
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone: 281/483-5111)

RELEASE: 03-372

ASTRONAUT DELIVERS KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE

NASA astronaut John B. Herrington, a member of the Chickasaw nation 
and the first Native American to walk in space, will deliver the 
keynote address at the American Indian Science & Engineering Society 
(AISES) 25th National Conference. 

The conference is at the Albuquerque, N.M. Convention Center Nov. 
20-22. Herrington's spacewalk was in November 2002, from the Space 
Shuttle Endeavour during a mission to the International Space 
Station. 

The society, with approximately 15,000 members, is a national, 
non-profit group that seeks to link science and technology with 
Native American values. It also fosters opportunities for Native 
Americans to study science, engineering and technology through 
educational programs. One of the society's founders, Jerry Elliott, 
an Osage-Cherokee, is a NASA engineer at the Johnson Space Center 
(JSC) in Houston. 

"It is important that we develop sufficient numbers of technically and 
scientifically trained American Indians who can guide our people in 
the future. What can be more exciting and natural than to carry on 
the knowledge of medicines, engineering and science that our 
ancestors knew but didn't label as such," Elliot said.

Elliott will also speak at the convention. He will receive the 
distinction of being named a Sequoyah Fellow. It is an honor named 
for the Cherokee who developed an alphabet and was instrumental in 
making his nation literate in the 1820's. Elliott's fellowship is 
bestowed for "contributions having long-term positive impact for the 
American Indian community."

"The education goals of AISES and NASA's efforts to encourage youth to 
study technical subjects are complementary," said JSC Director 
Jefferson Howell Jr. "Part of NASA's mission is to inspire the next 
generation of explorers, and we strive to increase the diversity of 
our workforce," he said.

The NASA exhibit at the AISES Conference Career Fair, coordinated by 
the Offices of Equal Opportunity Programs, Education, and the Dryden 
Flight Research Center, is one of the agency's Corporate Recruitment 
Initiatives. NASA is determined to attract and maintain a workforce 
capturing the full potential of U.S. diversity. NASA is also 
addressing the national need for a new generation skilled in science, 
technology, engineering and mathematics.

For more information about NASA on the Internet, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov 

For Information about NASA's Office of Equal Opportunity Programs on 
the Internet, visit: 

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codee 

For information about NASA Education programs on the Internet, visit: 

http://education.nasa.gov 

For information about NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on the 
Internet, visit: 

http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/

For information about the AISES conference on the Internet, visit: 

http://www.aises.org 

	
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