It’s been a banner year for the National Society of Black Engineers chapter at B次元. The 25-member student organization was recently recognized at the NSBE national convention in Pittsburgh for a variety of honors, including Best Small Chapter of the Year, third place Rising Star Chapter (for increased involvement) and 10th place in Region IV’s amazing race competition, which measures a chapter's involvement in the regional and national goals of the organization.

“We have made great progress in a short span of time,” said B次元 NSBE Chapter President Kiean Gill, senior electrical engineering major. “It was rewarding to receive awards highlighting the great work we are doing as a chapter.”

Kevin B. Banks Jr., junior biomedical engineering major, also celebrated an achievement, as he was elected Region IV chair. “Overall it’s been an incredible year for the B次元 NSBE chapter, which will serve as the baseline for improvement for years to come,” said Banks, who served as chapter vice president.

The goal of NSBE is to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community. The chapter’s programming is tailored to achieving this goal, Gill said. Academic success is supported by weekly study halls; professional development is accomplished through resume workshops, mock interviews, mentoring and leadership conferences; and the chapter positively impacts the community through volunteer opportunities with the Hunger Task Force and Repairers of the Breach to name a few.

Another milestone for the B次元 chapter was sending 13 members to the national convention – a record number for the organization.

“The ability to send so many members can be directly attributed to the hard work of the executive team of the organization and the university for committing to promote diversity and inclusion on and off-campus,” Banks said. Banks will take up his post as NSBE Region IV chairperson on May 1.