Spring marks success of Stanford's black science and engineering students

By David Orenstein

Although as students they are just now entering the world of engineering, members of the Stanford chapter of the Society of Black Scientists and Engineers (SBSE) are benevolently holding the door open for their younger brothers and sisters to follow, inviting them to consider technical careers that they might never have dreamed of otherwise.

"I feel that my success is not defined by my paycheck or the car I drive or my house or my job, but more by the people I've had an impact on and how I've improved their lives," says Myles Sumlin, an electrical engineering senior who has served as vice president of the SBSE this year and will graduate next month. Sumlin is one of many members of the chapter who tutor at the Eastside School, a college preparatory school, and a mentor at the Intel Clubhouse, part of the Boys and Girls Club. Both places are located in nearby East Palo Alto, a community with many underprivileged minority students.

The Stanford chapter members' commitment to community service has helped them earn two awards this spring from the national umbrella organization, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). In late March, among thousands of students at the NSBE annual convention, the 67-member Stanford chapter won its second consecutive "Most Distinguished Chapter of the Year" award, topping hundreds of other chapters including many that are considerably larger. Last month the chapter also won the NSBE TORCH award for its efforts at the Clubhouse to bridge the "digital divide" that leaves many poor kids without access to computers or the Internet.

The awards are not why SBSE members do what they do, says chapter president Macharia N. K. Edmonds, but they highlight the chapter's goals and recognize that the Stanford students pursue those goals successfully. "[They shed] light on us fulfilling the mission of NSBE, which is to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community," says Edmonds, a senior majoring in science, technology and society with a focus in chemical engineering.

At the Intel Clubhouse, an oasis of technology for East Palo Alto kids, SBSE members say they try to engage in projects that highlight engineering in ways that students might not find in the classroom. In a sound-mixing studio at the club, Sumlin says, he can mix cool-sounding beats as a way to inspire students about acoustics or electrical engineering. And borrowing on the popularity of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, in which the show's mechanics revamp a run-down car with flashy amenities such as TV screens and custom wheels and upholstery, SBSE cultural responsibility chair and chemical engineering sophomore Marcelo Worsley has begun an effort at the clubhouse to "pimp" a beat-up golf cart. The hip activity will be a vehicle for highlighting the mechanical and electrical engineering involved in restoring and altering the cart.

SBSE members visit the Clubhouse and the Eastside School at least once a week. At Eastside, members spend Saturday morning tutoring students in math and science as part of NSBE's pre-college initiative. Under SBSE's tutelage, a group of Eastside students won the right to represent NSBE's Region 6, which encompasses 13 western states, in a national competition. In March they placed third in that event.

Edmonds says he enjoys showing black students they can succeed in science and engineering. "Being a young black student, there are just not a lot of role models for aspiring engineers or scientists," he says. "It's good to interact with them to show them that you don't have to go into basketball or entertainment to be successful. You can go into engineering. You can go into science."

SBSE members have indeed demonstrated success in science and engineering by finishing strongly in a number of recent NSBE academic competitions. In this year's Academic Tech Bowl, Stanford finished first and second in NSBE Region 6. Stanford also placed strongly in the region's research competition in each of the last two years, finishing third this year and first, second and fourth last year. Stanford SBSE also won the most scholarships in Region 6 last year, Edmonds says.

Edmonds and Sumlin credit a wealth of corporate sponsors, many of whom send speakers to weekly chapter meetings, and university advisers, such as Reggie Mitchell, associate professor of mechanical engineering, and Noe Lozano, associate dean for engineering diversity programs, for helping them achieve their goals.

"I get to build bridges to help them pursue an engineering major, advance in the engineering profession and prepare them for graduate study," says Lozano. "I cannot think of anything else that I would rather be doing. With their energy and bright minds, they are always thinking of new ways to be culturally responsible engineers."

David Orenstein is the communications and public relations manager for the School of Engineering.

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