In mid-March, students from the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL) attended the 50th annual convention for the National Society of Black Engineers at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. ASDL was one of over 400 exhibitors at this event, which attracted over 20,000 attendees from across the country and globe. The ASDL students were able to connect with inspiring leaders in industry and academia, participate in empowering workshops, attend technical presentations, and explore potential job opportunities. This was the first time ASDL has attended the annual NSBE conference, but the lab plans to continue this engagement in order to interact with underrepresented groups in higher education, especially within the realm of aerospace engineering. Ngefor Ndifor, a second year Master’s student at ASDL, lead this endeavor in which ASDL joined hundreds of universities and industry leaders in their pursuit of increased diversity, equity, and inclusion in this field.

Front Row (left to right): Lloyd Teta, Thales Keke, Dunsin Awodele, Nathnael Geneti, Ngefor Ndifor. Back Row (left to right): Natalie Anderson, Jaylon Uzodinma, Hussein Ali, Samuel Ibidapo, Timi Oderinde