This month, we proudly celebrate Native American Heritage Month, an observance that began as a week-long recognition in 1976 and expanded to a full month in 1990 to honor the rich cultural heritage and significant contributions of Native American people.
We invite the CMD-IT community to use this month to highlight the contributions of Native Americans to computing by posting details to this link. We will post the highlights to the CMD-IT page in January. We start this initiative by highlighting the contributions of three past Tapia plenary speakers from the Native American community:
Tara Astigarraga is a Distinguished Engineer and Master Inventor at IBM Systems Assurance, boasting a remarkable portfolio of over 70 patents. She is a leading expert in Enterprise Storage, Server and Networking Solutions, and Watson Research, with a focus on developing innovative Enterprise Hybrid Cloud and Blockchain Solutions for IBM’s Technology Support Services. Beyond her groundbreaking work in the tech industry, Tara is a passionate advocate for STEM education, mentoring K-12 students to inspire and cultivate a love for technology in the next generation. Tara was the banquet speaker at Tapia 2023.
Dr. Josiah Hester specializes in computer engineering, with a focus on wearable devices, edge computing, and cyber-physical systems. His Ph.D. research centered on energy harvesting and battery-free devices capable of functioning intermittently. Today, he emphasizes sustainable computing by designing innovative health wearables, interactive devices, and large-scale sensing systems to support conservation efforts. Dr. Hester is a professor in the School of Interactive Computing, interim associate director for Community-Engaged Research, and director of Ka Moamoa, the Ubiquitous and Mobile Computing Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Hester was a keynote speaker at Tapia 2022.
Dr. John B. Herrington, a trailblazing figure in aerospace, made history as the first Indigenous astronaut to travel to space during NASA’s STS-113 Endeavour mission in 2002. A former Naval aviator and test pilot, he earned numerous accolades for his dedication and excellence. During his mission, Herrington completed three spacewalks, contributing nearly 20 hours to critical tasks, including installing the P1 Truss on the International Space Station. Drawing from his extraordinary journey, Herrington now inspires audiences as a keynote speaker, sharing insights on teamwork, innovation, adaptability, and perseverance. Dr. Herrington was a keynote speaker at Tapia 2021.
Tara Astigarraga
Engineer and Master Inventor
IBM Systems Assurance
Dr. Josiah Hester
Professor
Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. John Herrington
NASA Astronaut