NSBE Virtual Event on April 5–9 Will Highlight the Need for Social Impact of Black Students and Technical Professionals

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As their nation grappled with a global pandemic, an economic crisis and the rise of an international movement for social justice spurred by killings of African Americans, the leadership of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) saw the need for change, within their organization and beyond. The leaders of NSBE — an international organization and one of the largest student-governed organizations based in the United States — saw a mandate for NSBE’s 21,000-plus student and professional members to focus on the development of more Black engineers prepared to advance all elements of the Society’s mission: academic excellence, professional success and, above all, cultural responsibility and positive impact on their communities. 

With this mindset, NSBE’s Convention Planning Committee created “The Holistic Engineer,” the 47th Annual Convention of the National Society of Black Engineers (#NSBE47). The virtual event will take place on April 5–9, 2021 and will include dozens of technical and career development workshops; technical and scientific competitions; networking events; panel discussions; inspiring speakers; and more, for attendees of all ages. Featured events of #NSBE47 will also include a gala awards ceremony — the NSBE Golden Torch Awards — and a career fair with nearly 300 exhibitors, including employers recruiting new hires, and institutions of higher education seeking new students. 

“I am delighted that we have been able use technology, and our creativity, to continue our Annual Convention and expand its reach in spite of the turmoil of the past 16 months,” said NSBE National Chair Jocelyn Jackson, a second-year doctoral student in engineering education research at the University of Michigan. “This event has been a turning point for thousands of aspiring and practicing Black engineers over the years, myself included, and it still inspires many to have great careers in STEM today. National Society of Black Engineers 

“As NSBE’s first convention after the release of our new strategic plan, Game Change 2025, #NSBE47 will set the tone as we accelerate our progress toward NSBE’s ‘10K Goal,’ ” Jackson added. NSBE’s main 10-year strategic goal is to partner with higher education institutions to graduate 10,000 (10K) new Black engineers annually in the U.S., by 2025. 

NSBE 2021 Convention Planning Committee Chair Tiffany Sithiphone declared the creation of #NSBE47 “a tremendous success.” 

“The ‘new normal’ created by the pandemic has been difficult for students of all ages as well as for many professionals,” she said. “In planning this convention, our committee has been very mindful of the need to sustain the NSBE family by providing academic, technical and emotional support to help our members meet the challenges of the engineering discipline and to help them plan our collective actions to address societal problems such as racism and inequity. The agenda of #NSBE47 is filled with activities that achieve these ends.” 

The NSBE Annual Convention includes activities and events geared toward undergraduates in STEM fields, as well as three “mini-conferences” designed for the Society’s other membership demographics: the Pre-College Initiative (PCI) Conference, for elementary school, middle school and high school students; the Graduate School Conference (GSC) for current and prospective graduate students; and the Technical Professionals Conference (TPC) for STEM practitioners. The TPC is coordinated by NSBE Professionals, the 3,600-member organization for technical professional members of NSBE. 

The culminating event of the convention, the 24th Annual NSBE Golden Torch Awards ceremony, will honor outstanding achievers in STEM and the community on Friday, April 9, beginning at 6:30 p.m. EDT. Loni Love, comedian, television host, actress, author and former electrical engineer, will host the awards ceremony. 

“Kudos to NSBE’s Convention Planning Committee, and heartfelt thanks to the corporate, government, academic and nonprofit partners whose investment in NSBE’s mission has made this event possible,” said Charles Thompson III, interim executive director of NSBE. “The challenges of 2020 and 2021 have brought out the best of the nation’s true believers in diversity, equity and inclusion.” National Society of Black Engineers 

SAMPLE EVENTS 

NSBE Jr. Explorer Technical Innovation Competition / Brought to You by Pfizer and University of California, Santa Cruz 

Monday, April 5; 3–6 p.m. EDT 

R.I.S.E.: A Call to Social Justice 

Monday, April 5; Tuesday, April 6; Wednesday, April 7, Thursday, April 8; 5–6 p.m. EDT 

Virtual Planetarium: Planetary Geology (Grades K–6) 

Monday, April 5; 7–7:45 p.m. EDT 

Black Girl Magic – Why Not? / By Honeywell 

Tuesday, April 6; 1:45–2:35 p.m. EDT 

An Introvert’s Guide to Networking in the IT Industry / By Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) 

Wednesday, April 7; 2:50–3:40 p.m. EDT 

Race & Coding: A NSBE SIG Workshop on Algorithmic Justice and Racial Bias in Sensors / By the NSBE Transportation, Environmental Engineering and Energy Special Interest Groups (SIGs) 

Wednesday, April 7; 5–5:50 p.m. EDT 

Young, Black, Engineer & Gay: Navigating My STEM Career 

Wednesday, April 7; 5–5:50 p.m. EDT 

Family Science Night 

Wednesday, April 7; 7–8 p.m. EDT 

Executive Roundtable on Race and Equality in Corporate America / Brought to You by DoorDash, United Airlines and Verizon Media 

Friday, April 9, 10–11:15 a.m. EDT 

24th Annual NSBE Golden Torch Awards / Hosted by Loni Love 

Friday, April 9, 6:30–8 p.m. EDT National Society of Black Engineers 

ABOUT NSBE

With more than 700 chapters and more than 21,000 active members in the U.S. and abroad, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is one of the largest student-governed organizations based in the United States. NSBE, founded in 1975, supports and promotes the aspirations of collegiate and pre-collegiate students and technical professionals in engineering and technology. NSBE’s mission is “to increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community.” For more information, visit www.nsbe.org. 

Sign up to follow NSBE on social media. 

Twitter: twitter.com/NSBE 

Facebook: facebook.com/NSBE1975 

Instagram: instagram.com/NSBE 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-society-of-black-engineers 

YouTube: youtube.com/user/NSBETV 

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Yvette Watson
National Society of Black Engineers
703-966-6793
ywatson@nsbe.org