National Society of Black Engineers

The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), is a society that was founded in 1975 at Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. It is one of the largest student-run organizations in the United States, with core activities centered on improving the recruitment and retention of Black and other minority engineers in both academia and industry.

NSBE has more than 30,000 members worldwide, 18 regional conferences, an annual international conference, an annual national convention, and offers multiple scholarships. NSBE also represents 310 collegiate student chapters, 99 pre-college programs, and 88 professional chapters with their 6,000 technical members. A professional staff operates NSBE's World Headquarters in Virginia.

Origins
In 1971, two Purdue undergraduates, Edward Barnette and Fred Cooper founded the Black Society of Engineers (BSE) with faculty advisor Arthur J. Bond. The BSE was founded in response to the 80% drop out rate of Black freshmen in engineering programs in the 1960s. The club's goals were to improve the recruitment and retention of black engineering students.

The Purdue club held its first annual meeting in April 1975 with 48 students representing 32 schools. There, the group was renamed to the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and formally incorporated as a 501c(3) nonprofit.

Publications
NSBE publishes three magazines for its membership:


 * NSBE Magazine, its award-winning, flagship publication that offers feature articles of interest to engineering college students, faculty, and technical experts.
 * Bridge Magazine, marketed toward a pre-collegiate, younger audience to pique their interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
 * Career Engineer, which offers the latest industry news, cutting-edge technology, and strategies for work-life balance.