What is the NSBC Conference?
In March of 2016, leaders from iAAMCS (the Institute for African-American Mentoring in Computing Sciences) decided to host a conference dedicated to creating a safe space for participants to receive mentorship, increase professional networks, enhance social capital, and plan their career trajectories. As a result, the National Society of Blacks in Computing Conference was formed.
Who attends the NSBC Conference?
The NSBC conference has hosted nearly 300 participants from 43 different institutions in 28 different states across the nation who are undergraduate students, graduate students (masters and Ph.D.), faculty, and industry partners at various universities and companies in the last two years. The student attendees (undergraduate and graduate) had an average GPA of 3.60 in computer science, computer engineering, or a computing-related field.
What happens at the NSBC Conference?
The 2.5 day conference has 4 concurrent tracks. These tracks are divided into Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students, Future Faculty, and Faculty Development.
A variety of session topics in the past included: “Writing a Personal Statement”, “Maneuvering Coding Interviews”, “Publish or Perish”, “Building a Research-ready CS Infrastructure at HBCUs”, “Getting Funding for Graduate School”, “Academia vs. Industry”, “The Tenure Process”, “Writing your Dissertation Proposal”, “Potential Funding Opportunities for CS Faculty.”
Special sessions highlighting cultural and personal topics included: “Overcoming Challenges”, ” “Finding the Time to Do it All”, “Building Professional Networks”, “Money Management”, and “Black Women in Computing”.
Can companies recruit at the NSBC Conference?
Absolutely! In the past, employees from several companies such as Google, Intel, Uber, IBM Research, Microsoft Research, ESPN, Capital One, Chevron, Accenture, Shape Security, and Shot Tracker attended, hosted sessions, and served as keynote speakers at the conference. For information about recruitment and sponsorship levels, please download the NSBC 2019 Sponsorship Packet.
How do I attend the NSBC conference?
You may register using the link on the main page. Students and faculty are encouraged to apply for a scholarship to attend the NSBC conference. The scholarship covers airfare, lodging, meals, and ground transportation to attend the conference. The most current scholarship information is posted on the website: www.nsbc.org. In the event that an individual is not awarded a scholarship, they can still attend the conference by paying a nominal registration fee.
