Society of Black Engineers encourages minorities
A group of engineering students have started a new chapter of the National Society for Black Engineers, NSBE, here at USU. The students hope to support minorities and encourage them to continue in pursuit of degrees in engineering.
Abayomi Olorunsola, one of the chapter’s founders and current president, is a senior studying mechanical engineering. The creation of the chapter came from necessity, he said.
“We don’t have something like that at USU,” he said.
Still small, there are currently 13 active members, of diverse ethnic origin, Olorunsola said, including Dominicans and Africans.
It takes a lot of work to start something and keep it going, said Academic Advisor Kathy Bayn on the students’ efforts.
“I’m very pleased that the students have taken the initiative to start a chapter here at USU,” she said.
There are already several existing engineering clubs such as Society of Women’s Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and many others, Bayn said.
“I applaud their efforts. It’s hard enough for engineering students to find time to belong to an existing club. But to start one with all the organizational skills that go with that is really commendable,” Bayn said. “I wish them the best.”
In describing the organization’s goals, Olorunsola said their aim was “to get minorities together and encourage them to stay in engineering.” The original club was started in the ‘60s at Purdue University by two students who were concerned about the 80 percent drop-out rate among black engineering students.
“You don’t see a lot of black engineers,” Olorunsola said. “We can encourage them to stay and reach out to high school students.”
The Vice President of the USU chapter of NSBE is Muyiwa Ogunlaja, graduate student in environmental engineering. He said that for many minority students there is a social boundary. He said that part of the mission of the NSBE is to create an environment where students feel comfortable – friends and a support network. Bayn said that creating a social network such as the NSBE can make a big impact on students.
“Greater diversity is always a good thing. But sometimes students think they’ll be the only one in their group and that can be lonely. So having organizations that help connect them with other students can be very encouraging to them,” he said.
Ogunlaja said there were very few black engineering students at USU at present, so they are welcoming all minorities.
“It’s new, we’re just putting our name out there,” said Ogunlaja. “We’re building a foundation.”
According to the Web site of the National Society for Black Engineers, members are encouraged to develop many good qualities some of which are “to speak up, to be willing to learn, to be dependable, to be a team player, and to accept the rules.”
The main events that this organization participates in are the national conferences. These are excellent opportunities to learn about leadership skills and meet representatives from many different companies nationwide.
“They come to employ engineers,” Olorunsola said.
In addition to the conferences, the NSBE hopes to set up TORCH, Technical Out Reach Community Help. The goal is to lessen the national “digital divide.” In other words, the program is to help people become computer literate.
“It’s just bringing people together, helping people to succeed,” Muyiwa said. “I want to see more black people.”
According to the Web site, the National Society of Black Engineers is “open to all engineering, math, physical, applied and computer science majors.” People of all ethnic backgrounds are welcome.
Muyiwa mentioned that there is some reluctance, that people consider themselves, “brown, not black.”
For questions on membership or about the organization itself, e-mail Yomi at a.o@aggiemail.usu.edu.
-r.perkins@aggiemail.usu.edu