Each candidate for the SACNAS Board of Directors was provided five questions from members and asked to select three to which they would respond. Responses were to be kept to 200 words.

2. What outcomes do you expect from the forthcoming SACNAS/MAES conference to be held next year? Along a similar vein, how do you view SACNAS working with other scientific societies in the future?

The following candidates chose to respond to this question:

• Gilbert John
• Christopher Andronicos
• Donna Nelson
• Rodolfo Jimenez
• Nazune Menke

The combining of SACNAS and MAES at next year’s conference is a terrific idea as both organizations play an important role in supporting students in the STEM fields. When two major organizations can agree on holding a joint conference, that speaks highly of the excellent leadership both organizations possess. I view this interaction as multidisciplinary, and I have been part of many successful endeavors that involve multiple disciplines. I envision SACNAS holding joint conferences in the future but only every four years thereby maintaining its independence. The outcome I expect from the SACNAS/MAES conference is to share resources that include a list of student interests, dual membership for a year, and a conference exchange program in which members from both conferences attend opposite conferences.

I hope that the SACNAS/MAES joint conference leads to increased cooperation between the two organizations and further solidifies the collaboration started with the formation of the SACNAS/SHPE/MAES consortium. Organizations that represent the interests of Hispanics and Native Americans need to increase cooperation and to combine our resources, particularly during these difficult financial times. A combined voice when lobbying Congress, NSF, and NIH will clearly be more effective than working separately, and should be done whenever we share common goals. I would also like to see SACNAS reach out to other organizations, particularly AISES, which serves Native Americans in science and engineering. Interestingly, one of the problems I have seen is the scheduling of the national conferences. For instance, I have had to choose between the AISES national conference and the SACNAS national conference as both occur within a few weeks of each other during the fall. SHPE and MAES also traditionally have their conferences in the fall, so joint conferences between these organizations provide an excellent way to increase the voice of each of these organizations.

Other societies’ memberships are declining while SACNAS is expanding. SACNAS has found the winning combination to attract diverse students, which enables SACNAS to draw from the US population of increasing minorities. This accounts for much of the difference. Therefore, these societies look to partner with SACNAS in order to have contact with these students and to learn from SACNAS’ successful example.In addition to adopting a leadership role, several opportunities can come from these relationships. Members of some of these organizations want more contact with students. They would be happy to fill some of our needs as reviewers for abstracts, posters, and papers.

I believe that partnering with MAES for next years conference will take SACNAS to the next level. As a member of both societies I know SACNAS doesn’t have a strong engineering influence, and MAES doesn’t have a strong science influence. But once we come together, all of STEM will be represented to its fullest. Partnering could present major opportunities for both societies. It could allow us to increase both general membership and the number of university chapters. I know for a fact that outreach work is a major part of both societies. With the two societies coming together, this could provide numerous collaborations for current and future outreach work. And if SACNAS wants to continue to have large influence in the STEM fields I believe that we need to collaborate with all scientific societies possible. Our presence needs to be felt at other national conferences such as ACS, ASBMB, Endocrine Society, etc. There is no doubt that some of our current members are members of these societies as well as others. But I feel that in order for us to continue to have an impact on the STEM fields we must have more of a presence at these conferences.

The outcomes from the joint conference will undoubtedly enhance and expand the SACNAS sphere of influence, creating a larger and more dynamic membership base. SACNAS willingness to lead by example and take steps forward shows that the organization truly listens to its membership. This upcoming historic event will lead to organizational partnerships that will last a lifetime and pave the way for other organizations such as the American Indian Science and Engineering Society to also hold joint conferences with SACNAS in the future.