The National Society of Black Engineers – Space City Professionals Chapter Holds Membership Drive at Johnson

The NSBE-SCP (National Society of Black Engineers - Space City Professionals) Chapter hosted a membership drive on May 25, 2023, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. This was the chapter’s first drive focused on encouraging students from HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) to apply for internships and jobs at NASA. 

Founded in 1975, NSBE is one of the largest student-governed organizations based in the United States. It supports and promotes the aspirations of pre-collegiate and collegiate students and technical professionals in engineering and technology. NSBE’s collaboration with NASA formed through MUREP (Minority University Research and Education Project). MUREP is administered through NASA’s OSTEM (Office of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and provides financial assistance via competitive awards to minority-serving institutions.

Approximately 110 Johnson employees are active participants in NSBE-SCP. The chapter is currently led by chair Syreeta Watkins and vice chair John Dedeaux Davis, Jr., both employees at Johnson. Watkins is Johnson’s vehicle fleet operations officer and Davis is an education specialist with OSTEM.

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While NASA and NSBE-SCP’s relationship seemingly focuses on students in engineering and technology, Watkins and Davis mentioned it is about more than just STEM. The chapter’s primary initiative this year is to connect with HBCUs in the hopes of increasing their participation within reach of other NASA centers, as well as students in non-STEM related fields. 

“Many students aren’t aware or don’t think they are qualified because of misconceptions about what is required, such as being a STEM major,” said Watkins. “NASA has many different roles they may qualify for. We want these students to know they have a place at NASA.”

“There are many different types of jobs available at NASA, from food scientists to finance,” said Davis. “Students don’t realize the diversity in the types of fields one can contribute to at NASA. I’m a former classroom teacher working here – that says a lot!”

To show the many possibilities at NASA, Watkins and Davis shared their different paths within the agency. 

“I started my career at Johnson as a contractor on an administrative/secretarial contract for approximately six years,” said Watkins. “Once I maximized that position, I returned to college to obtain my master’s degree and then entered the Pathways Internship Program, where I completed two tours before becoming a permanent civil servant. Today, I am the center’s vehicle fleet operations officer where I manage the vehicles for the entire center.”

Davis dreamed of working at NASA since he was a kid. “I always had a love for science but let struggling in mathematics discourage me from sticking through with being an engineering major in college,” said Davis. “Lucky for me, my physics professor noticed my ability to communicate science concepts to others and thought I would make a great teacher. Turns out he was right!” Davis said he became an “engineer of minds” with his students. “I was very intentional in pushing my students toward a possible STEM career and continued to engineer minds up until I got the opportunity to live out my dreams of working at NASA! It will be five years in July since I first came to work at Johnson,” he said.

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Alongside supporting professional development in students, NSBE-SCP makes other efforts to positively impact local communities. The chapter recently collected sneakers during a shoe drive with the purpose of using them in new or upgraded playgrounds in the community.

“The effort helped to keep non-biodegradable materials out of landfills and put smiles on kids’ faces when they saw new or improved playgrounds,” said Watkins. “This relates heavily to me as it is my job at Johnson to focus on sustainability and lowering emissions on-site through electrifying our fleet program. Being able to positively impact our local community in a sustainable manner meant a lot and will probably always be my favorite story until we excel in sustainability.”

Watkins and Davis consistently learn from their leadership roles with NSBE-SCP and use that experience in their daily work at NASA with the hopes of being a positive influence on others.

“As a professional at NASA, I wanted the opportunity to promote NSBE’s mission to increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community,” said Davis. “It’s important to me to show that people who look like me have a presence and purpose at NASA. I want to inspire others to go after their dreams just as I did.”

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Interested in joining the National Society for Black Engineers Space City Professionals Chapter? Reach out to Syreeta Watkins and John Davis. Participation is open to professionals of all fields and backgrounds.