National Society of Black Engineers Chapter Excels in Academic Competition
While UMBC is known for its accomplished chess team, another campus group is gaining acclaim for blending the life of the mind with the spirit of competition.
For the second consecutive year, UMBC’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) represented the university remarkably well in a series of academic competitions against peers from across the country.
Teams of UMBC students (all of them scholars from the Meyerhoff, MARC U*STAR or other prestigious programs) swept the competition at the NSBE’s Fall Regional Conference, defeating teams from the University of Maryland, the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Pittsburgh and others. UMBC teams placed first and second in the Academic Technical Bowl (ATB) and also won the Undergraduate Students in Technical Research (USTR) event.
The ATB is a “Jeopardy!” style quiz bowl that tests knowledge of engineering, science, math, African-American history and other topics. The USTR is an individual undergraduate research competition and –among 12 finalists from around the region – Meyerhoff Scholar Ozell Sanders won first place, earning a $200 prize. Both the ATB first place team and Sanders will move on to compete at the NSBE National Conference in Orlando, Florida, against other regional winners from across the U.S.
“I’m really proud of our NSBE chapter winning both ATB and USTR again this year,” said Brandon Johnson, a senior mechanical engineering major, economics minor and president of UMBC’s NSBE chapter. “I think this is a testament to the strength of the UMBC chapter and, of course, to the quality education we receive here.”
According to Johnson, the son of UMBC physics professor and CASPR director Anthony Johnson, the NSBE contests require focus and preparation from team members. “We go over strategies and usually practice against each other with questions that might be asked in the real competition,” Johnson said. “We also assign certain topics to each team member depending on there major and what classes they’ve taken. We try and split the teams up so there are a variety of different technical majors on each team.”
Despite the Meyerhoff Program’s reputation for camaraderie and peer support, according to Johnson, they still enjoy competing against each other. “A friendly rivalry ensues, and we definitely play to win,” Johnson said. “The closeness of the Meyerhoff program allows us to be very supportive of each regardless of the outcome. When it comes to competing against other schools, I feel that our pride in our NSBE chapter and the academic excellence that the Meyerhoff program has instilled in us combines for a strong competitive spirit.”
“UMBC’s NSBE chapter continues to help shine a bright light on the campus, the strong academic reputation that we enjoy and the overwhelming support the organization receives from the administration and engineering and science faculty,” said LaMont Toliver, director of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program and advisor to the chapter. “In my humble opinion, because of its deep and historical commitment to academic excellence, community service and a diverse membership, NSBE continues to be one of the most impressive and premier student organizations at UMBC and throughout the country.”
The first place ATB team includes Meyerhoff Scholars Marie Baronette, Malcolm Taylor, Imhotep Jackson, and Johnson. The second place team consists of Meyerhoff Scholars Mike LoCastro, Natee Johnson, Berook Alemayehu and Dianne Weeks.
(1/15/08)
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