This year, the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) Conference celebrated its 38th anniversary The conference featured the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Engineering Deans Recognition Ceremony on February 17th, with the theme “Guardians of Heritage: Forgers of the Future.”

Allison Seymour and Linda Gooden, chair of the University of Maryland System Board of Regents and 2006 Black Engineer of the Year, hosted the two-hour awards ceremony.

HBCUs play a pivotal role in bringing the next generation of STEM talent into the workforce. They bridge heritage and innovation and serve as guiding lights that remind us that opportunity is created by vision and determination.

The event was attended by academic deans, including Zhengtao Deng, dean of the College of Engineering, Technology, and Physical Sciences at Alabama A&M University; Michelle Rambo-Roddenberry, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering; Joyce Shirazi, dean of the School of Engineering, Architecture, & Aviation at Hampton University; John M. M. Anderson, dean of the College of Engineering and Architecture at Howard University; Oscar Barton Jr., professor and dean of the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. School of Engineering at Morgan State University; Stephanie Luster-Teasley, interim dean of the College of Engineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; Michael Keeve, professor and dean of the College of Science, Engineering & Technology at Norfolk State University; Leland Martin, interim dean of the College of Sciences and Engineering at Southern University and A&M College; Lin Li, interim dean of the College of Engineering at Tennessee State University; Heshmat Aglan, dean of the College of Engineering at Tuskegee University; Devdas Shetty, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of the District of Columbia; Dawit Haile, dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at Virginia State University; and Wei Li, acting dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology at Texas Southern University.

The deans presented Legacy Awards during the event. Click here to view.