Black History Month Spotlight: The National Society of Black Engineers

The NFPA Education and Technology Foundation launched the Fluid Power Connects initiative to connect historically underrepresented student populations to educational opportunities and rewarding career pathways in the fluid power industry.

February is Black History Month, and we are working towards engaging our education partners and community organizations to extend our programmatic and funding opportunities to align our interests in bringing hands-on fluid power related activities to the diverse student populations they serve.

One way we are pursuing this is through student organizations that already exist on university campuses and encouraging them to conduct a fluid power activity or invite NFPA members to speak to their Club to explore career opportunities and discuss technology applications.

The mission of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community. Through a variety of programs, NBSE has trained thousands of corporate leaders, graduated tens of thousands of engineers, and engaged hundreds of thousands of K-12 students in STEM education over their 47-year history.

Does your company have contact with any NSBE Clubs or student organizations? If so, they may be eligible to apply for NFPA’s Fluid Power Club program or at the K-12 level, they could be eligible for a $500 grant to conduct fluid power hands-on activities.

Connection with organizations like NSBE and other multicultural groups are important to workforce development in the fluid power industry, and we look forward to ongoing collaboration as we advance the Fluid Power Connects initiative.

During Black History Month and onward, we encourage you get involved to support the development of Black engineers. Please email Stephanie at sscaccianoce@nfpa.com with questions or to learn more.