After a successful 25th-anniversary conference at the Alabama A&M University in Huntsville last year, the Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering  (AMIE) Conference headed to Hampton University in Virginia.

More than 150 middle school students are expected to join engineering deans of historically black colleges and universities for a STEM expo this morning.

On Thursday evening, Anthony Mitchell, the 2019 Black Engineer of the Year and executive vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton, will serve as keynote speaker, honoring a longstanding tradition of Black Engineers of the Year at the annual AMIE Conference.

“We are excited to host the 2019 Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering Annual Conference and Gala. This is a great opportunity for our undergraduate and graduate students to be exposed to opportunities within the engineering profession,” said Hampton University President, Dr. William R. Harvey.

As host, Hampton aims to strengthen science,  technology, engineering, and math (STEM) outreach in local communities and ABET-accredited engineering programs.

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredits education programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.

Dr. Joyce Shirazi, dean of the Hampton University School of Engineering and Technology, said the fifteen ABET-accredited HBCU engineering schools in AMIE, produce over 30 percent of African American college graduates with bachelor’s degrees in engineering.

“Approximately one-third of African American graduates in science and engineering are produced at HBCUs and one-quarter of PhDs in science and engineering receive their undergraduate degrees at HBCUs. HBCUs are a valuable untapped resource for STEM talent,” said Dr. Shirazi.

The event features roundtable discussions focused on research and programs that fulfill AMIE’s mission to attract, educate, graduate and place minority students in engineering and computer science careers. The AMIE Design Challenge winners (Hampton University students) will get to present at the annual conference.

AMIE academic partners in the Council of Engineering Deans of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities are:

Alabama A&M University
Florida A&M University
Hampton University
Howard University
Jackson State University
Morgan State University
Norfolk State University
North Carolina A&T State University
Prairie View A&M University
Southern University and A&M College
Tennessee State University
Tuskegee University
University of the District of Columbia
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Virginia State University