NSBE Gets $1 Million to Increase Blacks In Technology and Science
Alexandria, VA (BlackNews.com) - The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) announced that it has received a donation of $1 million from Battelle to support NSBE initiatives in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.
Half of the gift will establish annual scholarships for NSBE members at colleges around the country. Most of the remaining funds will be used for programs at the grade school and middle school levels. Smaller amounts will be dedicated to other initiatives. The money will be distributed over the next five years.
"Battelle and the National Society of Black Engineers share many common goals and objectives, most significantly our desire to be catalysts for positive, sustainable change in STEM education," said Battelle President and CEO Carl Kohrt. "In particular, we believe young African-American men and women need the opportunity and the encouragement to pursue technology-based careers, and NSBE is an outstanding vehicle for those efforts."
"As NSBE enters a new phase of its creation, we clearly know that in order to survive, we must continue to build upon our success of introducing African American students to STEM," says NSBE Executive Director Carl B. Mack. "This donation, which represents the single-largest donation in NSBE's 33-year history, will enable us to introduce STEM to third, fourth and fifth graders."
"NSBE is forever thankful for this gift from Battelle, and I am deeply moved," says NSBE National Chair Ainsley A. Stewart Jr., the organization's top-ranking officer. "We look forward with great anticipation to the opportunities these funds will provide to increase black participation in STEM and increase NSBE's positive impact on society by offering scholarships to deserving students."
Battelle will join more than 300 other organizations as sponsors of NSBE's 33rd Annual National Convention. This event is expected to draw more than 10,000 conference attendees to Columbus, Ohio, in March.
ABOUT BATTELLE
Battelle is the world's largest non-profit independent research and development organization, with 20,000 employees in more than 120 locations worldwide, including five national laboratories Battelle manages or co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle conducts $3.7 billion in R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management, and technology commercialization. Battelle provides innovative solutions to some of the world's most important problems, including global climate change, sustainable energy technologies, high-performance materials, next-generation healthcare diagnostics and therapeutics, and advanced security solutions for people, infrastructure, and the nation.
Battelle has a long history of developing successful commercial products in collaboration with its clients, ranging from products to fight diabetes, cancer and heart disease to the development of the office copier machine (Xerox). As a non-profit charitable trust with an eye toward the future, Battelle actively supports and promotes science and math education.
ABOUT NSBE
With more than 19,000 members, the National Society of Black Engineers, founded in 1975, is the largest student-managed organization in the world. NSBE has more than 300 chapters on college and university campuses and more than 80 Alumni Extension chapters and interest groups in the U.S., Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean. Its mission is "to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community." For more information, visit www.nsbe.org, or contact National Public Relations chair Raymond Armstead at 703-549-2207, or Pamela Sharif at 703-549-2207, ext. 205.
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