Rice University will host the National Society of Black Engineers Houston Professional Chapter’s Fresh Start event this week, expecting a record number of participants. The Dec. 9 event at Rice’s Ley Student Center aims to engage third through 12th grade students in interactive workshops that creatively explore the various disciplines in the field of engineering.
“At NSBE Houston, we envision a world in which ‘engineering’ is a mainstream word in homes and communities of color and where all Black students can envision themselves as engineers,” said Joshua Gray, advisory board chair of NSBE Houston and professor in the practice at the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership. “NSBE’s mission is to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community.”
The NSBE Fresh Start event is designed to inspire and motivate children to set academic goals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Workshops will be led by professionals in the industry who are passionate about engineering and education.
“This is a great event that helps expose kids to the field of engineering at a critical time in their education, which hopefully can help inform, inspire and empower them to pursue careers in engineering and/or STEM,” Gray said. “We want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to spread the word about this opportunity in order to reach as many students as possible. Our goal is to break down barriers in education and help make STEM topics accessible and fun for students.”
What: NSBE Fresh Start
When: Dec. 9, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Rice University, Ley Student Center, 6100 Main St.
Registration link:
https://www.nsbehouston.org/fresh-start-2023
Members of the media interested in attending should contact Silvia Cernea Clark, media relations specialist at Rice, at sc220@rice.edu or 713-348-6728.