Mayor Bill Peduto officially named Nov. 14 “NSBE Day in Pittsburgh” to recognize the National Society of Black Engineers and its upcoming conference this weekend. 

NSBE, a nonprofit founded in 1975, is a network of more than 29,000 black engineering students and is one of the largest student organizations in the country. The Region II branch, headed by three Pitt students, will hold its Fall Regional Conference this weekend in Greentree.

Ashley McCray, the Region II chairwoman of NSBE, said she thinks the mayor’s proclamation could mark the start of a national movement to encourage students across the country toward STEM fields.

“One of the biggest contributors to low number of minority engineers is simply the lack of exposure,” McCray, a senior chemical engineering major, said in an email. “So if we can introduce one child to engineering on NSBE day, then its purpose will be fulfilled.”

More than 700 college, pre-college and technical students from West Virginia to South Carolina will attend the conference, which will take place at the DoubleTree Hilton in Greentree from Nov. 14 to Nov. 16. The conference will include technical competitions, workshops, regional business meetings and graduate school career fair, McCray said.

Marcus Jordan, the regional conference planner, said he is “ecstatic” about the announcement, and he hopes the conference this weekend will “cultivate change” on college campuses nationwide.

“The best way to increase [the number of black engineers] is to make sure we are exposing young African-American children to the engineering field at early ages and allowing them to see faces that look like theirs in college chasing this dream,” Jordan said. 

Jordan, McCray and Robert Timmons, the president of NSBE, said they became interested in engineering through programs in high school. Timmons said he always excelled in math and science and attended an engineering camp at the University of Texas before college. NSBE, he said, solidified his interest in engineering and has helped him through his college career.

“NSBE has been a key factor in my motivation to complete my engineering degree,” Timmons said. “This is a great opportunity to reach multiple students in the Pittsburgh area and make sure that they know that they can also be an engineer in the future.”

Representatives from Peduto’s office did not respond to requests for comment on the proclamation on Thursday.

“NSBE has shaped my entire college career,” McCray said. “What separates NSBE from every other professional society is the fact that we are a family and our goal is to make sure that everyone not only survives, but excels.”