A Northern Touch

The National Society of Black Engineers marks its annual convention with a first-ever Canadian conference

BY: Jason Roberts

This spring MARKS a historic event in Canada as the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) descends on Toronto to celebrate its 36th Annual Convention Ñ the first in this country.

“The convention is taking place in Toronto because five years ago NSBE had the vision of holding an international convention, and taking their largest event beyond the borders of the United States,” says Tanya Stephens, marketing and promotions manager for this year’s convention.

Black students at Indiana’s Purdue University started the NSBE in 1971 as a way to improve the recruitment and retention of black engineering candidates after a signifigant percentage of black freshmen had begun dropping out of engineering programs. Since that time, the NSBE has grown from a few students championing blacks in engineering-related fields into one of the largest student-run organizations anywhere in the world.

The move to hold the convention outside of the U.S. is part of the group’s recent effort to make itself an organization capable of international impact. “Some people have said that holding the convention in Canada is just like holding it in the United States,” says Stephens. “I challenge them on that. NSBE is a 33,000-member organization with the majority of its membership in the United States, some of whom have never left the U.S. This is a gateway to many other opportunities worldwide.”

With the group’s mission clearly aimed at creating a definite global reach, culturally diverse Toronto seems to be the perfect destination. “What better place to host a convention that teaches the merits of global reach than a city that has truly embraced it,” says Stephens. During the five-day convention, students and NSBE alumni members will be engaged in a variety of activities, ranging from a three-day career and graduate school fair, to tours of famous Toronto landmarks.

Another reason Toronto was chosen for this year’s convention is that Ontario is home to growing and established NSBE chapters, including those at the University of Toronto, Carleton and McGill. Also, NSBE’s Youth Legacy program is at work implementing new programs in high schools across the Toronto area.

Ricky Neckles, former president of the NSBE chapter at the University of Toronto, argues against the idea that the field appeals only to those that are technically inclined. “Anyone who would like to be part of the solution to the world’s problems and challenges,” Neckles says, “would make a great engineer.”

- engineering a global impact, Mar 31-apr 4, metro toronto convention centre, 255 front st. w. for more info, visit nsbe.org