PHILADELPHIA— The grandest ballroom of the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown Hotel saw a glittering display of talent Saturday at the 26th Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA). The black-tie affair, at which achievements of some of the best performers in American technology are recognized, brought the three-day global competitiveness conference to a close.
Joining the BEYA inductees was top honoree, World Wide Technology, Inc's David L. Steward. Named 2012 Black Engineer of the Year, Steward is founder and chairman of the Board of World Wide Technology (WWT), a leading systems integrator and one of the largest minority-owned businesses in the United States.
Other BEYA categories recognized women and men with exemplary achievements in government and industry. Most promising college students also received recognition, to name just a few.
Since the Black Engineer of the Year Awards was founded 26 years ago, the BEYA conference has provided employers with a unique opportunity to acknowledge the achievements of Black trailblazers in science, technology, engineering and math fields.
Hosted by US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine, the Council of Engineering Deans of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Lockheed Martin Corporation, the Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Global Competitiveness Conference annually brings together K-20 students, educators, college administrators, recruiters, tech professionals, scientists, and top decision-makers from American corporations, government, military and academia in an effort to broaden diversity in the technical and scientific work force.
BEYA's K-20 Program opened the conference on Thursday. High-schoolers attended pre-college events and took part in workshops exploring how students can grow up to be like the Black Engineers of the Year.
The Council of Engineering Deans of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities met in official session Saturday. The Deans' Roundtable explored how HBCU programs can participate in building a diverse work force and get their faculty's talents involved in more research and development work. The Deans Breakfast also held Saturday is supported by corporate sponsors and presided over by Chairman Eugene DeLoatch of Morgan State University and the deans from HBCU engineering schools. The event brings together top employers, college and high-school students, and the community to celebrate the accomplishments of Black Engineer of the Year Award winners and Special Recognition honorees.
Other highlights of the three-day weekend included the Black Engineer of the Year Alumni Association meeting. The organization enhances networking, coordinates speaking engagements, and mentoring by the more than 500 award-winners the conference has honored over the 26 years of its existence.
A major part of the BEYA program is Stars and Stripes. As part of that event held Friday, more than 80 retired and active military generals, admirals and senior executives in the U.S. Department of Defense held mentoring sessions with over 200 students from Philadelphia's schools.
Senior military leaders and dignitaries arrived in Philadelphia to honor more than 100 African American admirals and generals, both active and retired. The 7th Stars & Stripes Tribute marks the contributions of African American warriors made throughout the nation's military history, and comes at a time of year set aside to honor and celebrate the significant achievements of black men and women in our nation's history.
This year's Stars & Stripes was hosted by the United States Marines and the keynote was given by the highest-ranking officer in that service, General James F. Amos, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Among other senior military leadership on hand to honor some 100 generals and admirals were Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley, Admiral Robert J. Papp, commandant of the United States Coast Guard, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert,
General Lloyd J. Austin III, the vice chief of the Army, and General Norton A. Schwartz, chief of staff of the Air Force.
Uder-30 tech professionals were honored at the Modern-Day Technology Leaders luncheon and at the BEYA Student leadership & Scholarship Awards. Both ceremonies recognize up-and-comers. Joining with the 2012 winners were an audience of students, professionals and educators to celebrate the achievements of young men and women involved in directing the future of technology in American life.
Ten years ago, BEYA's Science Spectrum enlisted participation of major employers to help develop the first peer-reviewed awards honoring the finest minority research scientists in the nation. Those companies assessed some of America’s finest underrepresented science workers, and the winners are the people behind the science of life—the 2012 Emerald Honorees. Scientist of the Year, Tahllee Baynard, vice President, Program Management, Lockheed Martin Space Systems led a roster of scientists who received their recognition Thursday in the Benjamin Franklin Memorial at Philadelphia's renowned Franklin Institute.
From its first formal educational program in 1802, science and engineering have played a pivotal role in the transformation of America from a wilderness into the highly technical society that it is today. Its potential to continue as the driving force for further growth is great. In order to compete in engineering and technology the United States must continue to encourage excellence in the field. BEYA recognizes scientists and engineers who have made significant contributions to this effort.
The Black Engineer of the Year Awards was planned to coincide with the observance of America's National Engineers Week and serve historically as a fitting tribute to the close of Black History Month.
