NSBE Origins
Founders & Leaders
Milestones & Events
NSBE Symbols & Mission
Black Innovators
100

At what university was NSBE founded?

What is Purdue University?

100

Who was the first president of the Black Society of Engineers?

Who is Edward Barnette?


100

In what year was NSBE incorporated as a nonprofit organization?

 What is 1976?

100

What does NSBE stand for?

What is the National Society of Black Engineers?

100

Who developed the mathematical models of Earth that contributed to the development of GPS?

Who is Dr. Gladys West?

200

What was the original name of the organization established in 1971?

What is the Black Society of Engineers (BSE)?

200

Who is known as the “Mother of NSBE”?

Who is Virginia Booth?

200

In what year were the first NSBE Jr. chapters formed?

What is 1990?

200

What is the name of the NSBE symbol that represents members’ everlasting desire to achieve success and improve quality of life?


What is the Torch?

200

Who developed the portable, hand-crank pencil sharpener?

Who is John Lee Love?

300

What was the stated mission of the original Black Society of Engineers?

What is the recruitment and retention of Black engineering students?

300

Who was elected NSBE’s first National Chairperson at the first National Conference in 1975?

 Who is John Cason?

300

In what year was NSBE’s National Pre-College Initiative (PCI) launched?

What is 1988?


300

What was the tagline Anthony Harris used to summarize the Society of Black Engineers’ mission in 1974?

What is “Dedicated to a better tomorrow”?


300

Which NASA mathematician helped calculate orbital mechanics for early crewed spaceflights?

Who is Katherine Johnson?


400

What nickname is given to the six founders of NSBE?

Who are the Chicago Six?

400

Name the three people who incorporated NSBE as a nonprofit organization in 1976

Who are Barry Barrell, Pamela Mukolu, and William Johnson?

400

Which annual National Convention is recorded in the study guide as the largest ever, and in what city was it held?

What is the 28th Annual National Convention in Orlando, Florida, in 2002?

400

What do the lightning bolts in NSBE’s symbol represent?

What is the striking impact of members’ contributions and accomplishments on society and industry?

400

Name the inventor who developed a far-ultraviolet camera and spectrograph carried to the Moon on Apollo 16.

 Who is Dr. George R. Carruthers?

500

In 1971, two undergraduate students approached their dean with the idea for BSE. Name both students and the faculty advisor who helped them.

Who are Edward Barnette, Fred Cooper, and Dr. Arthur J. Bond?

500

Identify the three NSBE leaders associated with these milestones: the first National Chairperson from 1976–77, the first National Chairperson from 1977–78, and the National Chairperson from 1987–89

Who are William Johnson, Richard L. Toler, and Dr. Gary May?

500

At the first National Conference in April 1975, five major developments occurred. Name at least four.

What are selecting the national symbol by adding the letter “N”; drafting the National Constitution; dividing the organization into six geographic regions; electing John Cason as first National Chairperson; and selecting the name National Society of Black Engineers?

500

In 1974, one leader renamed BSE as SBE, created the Torch and lightning bolt symbol, and wrote a letter to college presidents and deans nationwide. Who was this leader, and what was the original organization renamed?

Who is Anthony Harris, and what is the Society of Black Engineers (SBE)?

500

Identify all three innovators from these clues: one developed software for the Centaur rocket upper stage; one pioneered electrogasdynamics for applications including smoke removal; and one developed manufacturing processes that advanced high-speed fiber-optic communications.

Who are Annie Easley, Dr. Meredith Gourdine, and Dr. Thomas Mensah?