Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers – SHPE

The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) was established in 1974, and it quickly developed and spread out around the country. The Mississippi State chapter of SHPE began in the fall of 2008 when Tommy Stevenson, who was serving as assistant dean, introduced the organization to a group of Hispanic engineering students who were looking to establish a network for Hispanic engineering students on campus. After several informative meetings, the chapter was initiated.

Since then, the chapter has grown, to include 23 members from engineering, sciences and math departments. While the chapter is still fairly new, it has done a lot to make an assertion to the Hispanic community in Starkville. During the National Hispanic Heritage month in October 2009, the chapter hosted five events including a Latino soccer tournament, Spanish mass and a Latin American night, which turned out to be a huge success bringing over 350 people to campus. The chapter receives significant support from the Bagley College of Engineering and other colleges on campus. Each year, several members travel to the SHPE National Conference where students are able to participate in events such as seminars, workshops, lectures and a career fair.