Wednesday March 29, 2017 • 10:00 an • Kansas City Convention Center • Varies
301 W 13th Street, Kansas City, MO, 64105 map it
10:00 an
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 20, 2017
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS ANNUAL CONVENTION SET FOR LAUNCH IN KANSAS CITY, MO.
More Than 10,000 Attendees to Address the Theme ‘Engineering Your Foundation’
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Two years ago, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) set a bold, ambitious goal for itself: to lead the United States to graduate 10,000 new black engineers annuallyby 2025, up from 3,501 African-American engineering graduates in 2014. NSBE’s plan to achieve this goal requires development of a stronger base for the organization and its members: a foundation composed of academic excellence, professional success and commitment to advancement of African-American culture and community.
On March 29–April 2, 2017, at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Mo., NSBE will demonstrate and discuss the underpinnings of its plan to reach its “10K goal,” during the National Society of Black Engineers 43rd Annual Convention (#NSBE43). Attendance at the convention will exceed 10,000 aspiring and practicing engineers; educators; members of the Greater Kansas City community and representatives of more than 200 academic institutions, government agencies, corporations and nonprofit organizations. The theme of the event is “Engineering Your Foundation.”
Among the many highlights of the convention’s four-day agenda are high-profile speakers, panel discussions, 120 workshops, networking sessions, company tours, community engagement events, technical and scientific competitions, hands-on engineering and science activities and the premier career fair geared toward African Americans in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). NSBE’s largest event, the Annual Convention showcases black students and professionals who have a passion for STEM, who are high achievers in these fields and who are channeling their dedication to advance their communities and society at large.
“At a time when our organization and the world around us are constantly in flux, we want to ensure our members and the black community have the foundational skills and aspirations to thrive in the international economy,” said Kendra A. Allen, chair of NSBE’s 2017 Annual Convention Planning Committee. “By providing professional development, personal enrichment and service to the community, we hope to inspire our attendees to move forward with a newfound enthusiasm in NSBE’s mission.”
“The Convention Planning Committee has done an excellent job of creating an event with broad appeal and broad social relevance,” said NSBE National Chair Matthew C. Nelson. “The work we will do and the information we will exchange in Kansas City will benefit the African-American community and the U.S. as a whole.”
In addition to events and activities geared toward undergraduates in engineering and other STEM fields, the NSBE Annual Convention includes three “mini-conferences” designed for the Society’s other membership demographics: the Pre-College Initiative (PCI) Conference, for elementary, middle and high school students; the Graduate School Conference (GSC) for current and prospective graduate students; and the Technical Professionals Conference (TPC) for practicing professionals. The TPC is coordinated by NSBE Professionals, the organization for technical professional members of the National Society of Black Engineers.
Richard Z. White is national chair of NSBE Professionals, “The Annual Convention will be the culmination of a year of breakthroughs for our organization,” White said. “The Technical Professionals Conference will feature our first-ever Chapter Leadership Luncheon as well as a number of other improvements to better engage our NSBE Professionals membership. We urge all STEM workers to get involved!”
“NSBE is grateful for the generous support provided by hundreds of corporate, government, academic and other organizations to make our event possible,” said NSBE Executive Director Karl W. Reid, Ed.D. “NSBE’s 43rd Annual Convention is proof that the future is bright for diversity and inclusion in the field of engineering in America.”
More information about NSBE’s 43rd Annual Convention is available online at convention.nsbe.org. A small sample of newsworthy activities at NSBE’s 43rd Annual Convention follows.
About NSBE
With more than 500 chapters and nearly 16,000 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.
