Hampton University to Host 2019 Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering Annual Conference and Gala, September 3-5
HAMPTON, Va. (August 23, 2019) — Hampton University is hosting the 2019 Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering (AMIE) Annual Conference and Gala, September 3-5. This year’s theme is “Empowering Engineering Success from the Classroom to the Workforce.”
“We are excited to host the 2019 Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering Annual Conference and Gala. This is a great opportunity for our undergraduate and graduate students to be exposed to opportunities within the engineering profession,” said Hampton University President, Dr. William R. Harvey.
Over twenty-five years ago, key leaders from corporate and government Communities, who had a vested interest in Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., (ABET) accredited HBCU Engineering Schools, sat down with several HBCU leaders and developed key strategies that would enhance HBCU engineering programs. Through this collaboration, these forward leaning leaders focused their efforts on long-term measures that would provide innovative academic programs of excellence at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to attract and graduate a greater number of minorities and women in engineering. AMIE evolved as a vehicle to bring more public/private resources to the HBCU Engineering Schools.
During the conference, engineering professionals and leaders from top corporations and government agencies will discuss strategies to empower engineering success from the classroom to the workforce and increase diversity in the engineering workforce. The Annual Conference and Gala will feature prominent speakers and inspiring roundtable discussions focused on Innovation, Technology, Research and Programs to attract, educate, graduate and place minority students in engineering and computer science careers. The Annual Conference will culminate with a semi-formal Silent Auction and Gala on Thursday evening featuring Anthony Mitchell, 2019 Black Engineer of the Year and Executive Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton as the keynote speaker.
There will also be a STEM outreach program on Thursday, September 5, where about 180 7th graders from Lindsay Middle School will be exposed to the exciting application of STEM knowledge. The MITRE Corporation and the Raytheon Company partnered with Hampton University to plan and lead the K-12 STEM outreach event. The outreach activities will be at Lindsay, 1636 Briarfield Rd., Hampton, VA 23661 from 9:30 a.m. until Noon. The objective of the AMIE K-12 STEM Outreach event is to leverage AMIE resources to strengthen STEM outreach efforts in communities surrounding ABET accredited engineering programs – Chemical, Computer, and Electrical Engineering.
Dr. Joyce Shirazi, Dean of the Hampton University School of Engineering and Technology, notes that today AMIE is a coalition of corporations, government agencies and fifteen (15) ABET accredited Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Engineering Programs. These fifteen (15) ABET accredited HBCU Schools of Engineering represent less than 3 percent of all the engineering schools in the country and produce over 30 percent of the African American college graduates with bachelor’s degrees in engineering. “Approximately one-third of African American graduates in science and engineering are produced at HBCUs and one-quarter of PhDs in science and engineering receive their undergraduate degrees at HBCUs. Our HBCUs are a valuable untapped resource for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) talent,” said Dr. Shirazi.
