When Duriel Cohen was in high school he liked math and working with his hands. With encouragement from family members in the engineering field, he decided to study it at Grand Valley State University.
As a senior electrical engineering student and current president of the GVSU chapter of The National Society for Black Engineers (NSBE), Cohen has the opportunity to recruit other minority students into the program.
NSBE is designed to help increase minority enrollment in the graduate and undergraduate engineering programs at GVSU, explains Cohen. It also serves as a positive peer group to interact with.
NSBE's mission is to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers to excel academically, succeed professionally and to positively influence the community.
The group helps students learn more about the field of engineering, says Cohen. You realize how important it is to reach out to incoming freshman and let them know that there are people here who can help them.
The National Society for Black Engineers is the largest student-run organization in the United States. Created in 1975 by engineering students at Purdue University, NSBE has grown from six founding members to over 10,000.
Students involved in NSBE volunteer their time at the Grand Rapids Children's Museum helping children with Christmas and Halloween programs. This semester, NSBE students will give presentations at Union High School to those students interested in the fields of math and science.
It is important to reach out to those at the high school level in order to show them that there are possibilities, says Cohen.
For 26 years, black engineers and students have come together to sharpen their technical skills, network, and learn more about job opportunities during NSBE's national conferences. Several students from the GVSU's NSBE chapter will attend the annual national convention and career fair in Charlotte, North Carolina on March 22-26.
The conference lets you get to know other students, build friendships, and network, explains Cohen. They also offer scholarships, career fairs, internships, and co-ops.
The National Society for Black Engineers meets every Wednesday from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in 1109 Mackinac Hall. The group invites any student in a science-related major, including computer science, to join.
