Research shows that as our students move through school, their interest in STEM education diminishes. So, the question then becomes how do we ensure we build and maintain support to mitigate the reduction of students in the STEM field? Mitigating the potential pitfall requires intentional thought and programs to increase interest and engagement in these areas. To increase engagement at the collegiate level, the Colorado School of Mines Black Alumni Network and National Society of Black National Society of Black Engineering hosted a networking event for college students to connect with members of the professional environment.

The event themed "Fusing the Pipeline" was aimed at ensuring college students felt the connections they needed from professionals as they sought to integrate into the world of work. It was a good experience seeing college students immersed in conversations with many professionals and gathering wisdom from those working in different engineering fields.  

Special thanks to Jalan Thomas and Max (Co-presidents of NSBE School of mines), Rameesh Madourie (President of the Denver professional chapter), and Nahjee Maybin, who were instrumental in the event being a success.