Welcome to Rice University’s Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). With over 30,000 members internationally, NSBE is one of the largest student-run organizations in the United States and the world. NSBE is dedicated to using its large membership base to increase the enrollment, retention, and success of Black and minority engineers all around the globe. This vision of NSBE can be summarized in our mission statement: “to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community.” NSBE accomplishes these goals through a global network of pre-collegiate, collegiate, and professional chapters.
As a collegiate (or college-based) chapter, the Rice University NSBE Chapter is dedicated to fulfilling all principles of the NSBE mission statement, with the goal of increasing the enrollment, retention, and overall success of Black and minority engineering students at Rice University. At Rice NSBE, we focus on providing our members with the academic, professional, and personal resources needed to ensure their success as emerging professional engineers. Our chapter’s membership includes undergraduate and graduate engineering students alike. We are also committed to engaging Rice NSBE alumni, local NSBE professionals, Black and minority engineering faculty, and K-12 (pre-collegiate) students in the local area. Read on to discover how Rice NSBE accomplishes each of the pillars of the NSBE mission statement.
At Rice NSBE, we are….
Excelling Academically
NSBE offers several academic resources to its members. We hold biweekly “study jams” where an on-campus room is reserved to provide a space for members to study, do schoolwork, or hold informal study sessions. Rice NSBE also dedicates several general body meetings to academic topics, such as our “Majors, Minors, and Programs of Study” panel, “STEM Tea” chat, and several other academic resource workshops. We also have a strong emphasis upon connecting freshman and sophomore students to upperclassmen within their major or area of study.
Succeeding Professionally
Throughout the school year, NSBE hosts nearly twenty professional development sessions, ranging in content from elevator pitch workshops, to technical interview preparation seminars, to career exploration panels. Over half of these events are done in partnership with companies interested in recruiting Rice NSBE members, meaning that these events also serve as useful networking opportunities for members with company representatives. Furthermore, these professional development events equip Rice NSBE members with the knowledge and resources to confidently pursue the professional opportunities they are interested in.
In addition to professional development-focused events, NSBE also offers its members access to the NSBE Opportunity Document, an up-to-date repository of information about internship, career, and professional opportunities.
Positively Impacting the Community
Houston is recognized as the 4th largest city in the U.S. and one of the most racially and socioeconomically diverse. This means that Rice NSBE has the unique opportunity to serve in minority and low-income areas where access to knowledge about post-secondary education may be limited. Every year, Rice NSBE partners with the NSBE Houston Professional Chapter to canvas neighborhoods in low-income neighborhoods and spread information about post-secondary education and education access opportunities to those who might not have access to such information. Rice NSBE has also started the tradition of partnering with and donating to a local non-profit STEM organization (generally one focused on K-12 development) to make a meaningful impact in the community. Furthermore, NSBE provides a variety of other on and off-campus volunteer opportunities for our members; information about these volunteer opportunities can be accessed in the Opportunity Document and weekly NSBE newsletter.