SIGs are groups within NSBE of technical professionals and graduate students with common interest in a particular field (analogous to technical societies in other engineering organizations). The objective of SIGs is to develop and implement technical projects, as well as to develop solutions to problems/issues in a particular field of engineering.. SIGs address three areas of the National Strategic Plan/National Directives: Professional Excellence, World Wide Impact, and Engineering Excellence.

• In terms of Professional Excellence SIGs aid in accomplishing the strategy(ies) of
  • Providing continuous development of leadership/professional skills.
  • Providing technical content/development to our members through partnerships.
• In terms of World Wide Impact SIGs aid in accomplishing the strategy(ies) of
• Utilizing technical skills to overcome the unique challenges facing our community.

NSBEpreneur is a subset of Entrepreneurship programming which consists of NSBEpreneur, Business Diversity, and Supplier Diversity. The objective of NSBEpreneur is to train and certify entrepreneurs in NSBE. NSBEpreneur addresses the Professional Excellence piece of the National Strategic Plan/National Directives.

• In terms of Professional Excellence NSBEpreneur aids in accomplishing the strategy(ies) of
  • Developing the elements of the NSBEpreneur program.

This is our premier academic excellence program. It's designed to promote academic achievement & help students improve their overall GPA and ultimately achieve completion of the mission statement. National A+ page

Socratic Learning is an Interactive Online Tutoring. Real-time one-on-one tutoring online that engages students in an active discussion with an educator and requires them to work their minds and formulate and express their thoughts in order to learn and solve problems. This is geared towards college students

Guaranteed 4.0**: An educational workshop and seminar series that details a unique
learning method guaranteed to increase academic performance.
**Guaranteed 4.0 will run a pilot test of NEB, 3 REBs, and 2-4 chapters this year

GPA Initiative: The Achiever’s Plus GPA Initiative has replaced the Tutoring Initiative. In effort to understand the Academic State of the Society and recognize members for excelling academically each region has $7500 to distribute amongst chapters in the region. All small chapters are required to confirm the GPAs of its members. Chapters will submit a proposal on NOL in which small chapters may request up to $100; medium chapters may request up to $300; and large chapters may request up to $500 to organize one academic excellence activity/workshop. If a chapter is awarded an Academic Success grant, then the chapter is required to confirm the GPAs of 90% of its members by submitting GPA verification forms or official transcript. Applications will be available on NOL in first week of October. The timeline is:

1. October -Chapters submit a proposal/Application approved
2. November- 50% of funds distributed/ Program conducted and collect/confirm GPAs
3. December – Confirm GPAs submitted to WHQ
4. January – Remaining funds distributed to chapters

The objective of the Academic Technical Bowl is to encourage and showcase Academic Excellence and understanding of the fundamental principles of engineering covered in the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE/EIT) Examination. Program participation occurs through healthy competition in a “Jeopardy!” style game show format with multiple choice questions. Questions cover a wide variety of topics, from NSBE and African American Scientists and Inventors history to general engineering and science curricula from the FE/EIT. Questions will come from a popular standardized text which will be announced prior to the opening of the application module. Each team consists of four (4) members (including at most one graduate student and one underclassman) and one alternate, who represent their NSBE Chapter . Regional Technical Bowl competitions will be held at the Fall Regional Conferences and the winning team from each region will compete for the national title at the National Convention. Teams must register for their respective Fall Regional Conference to compete in the regional competition.

ELIGIBILITY: Each participating team member must be a current, paid NSBE member, and must represent a chartered student NSBE chapter. In

addition, each team member must submit an official transcript or GPA

verification form to NSBE headquarters.

NATIONAL The six regional chapter team winners will represent their respective regions

AWARDS: at the National Competition held at the National Convention. Each regional team will receive complimentary registration and a team travel stipend to attend the National Convention. The top three national teams will be awarded the following cash awards (80% team members/20% chapter):

First place $1,000

Second place $750

Third place $500

REGIONAL Each team member will receive a certificate of participation. Your region

AWARDS: may provide awards to the top three regional teams. The type of award for may vary from region to region. Please consult your Regional Academic Excellence Chair for more information.

Resources:
ATB Study Guide

ATB Sample Questions

This program was developed to recognize members for outstanding academic achievement on the chapter, regional and national levels. Members must submit an official transcript or GPA verification form. These levels are based on cumulative GPAs. NSBE All-STARS include:

* Honorable Mention (most improved GPAs; recognized only at National; honorees may have less than 3.0)
* Club Excel (GPA requirement – 3.0 -3.19)
* Torchbearer (GPA requirement – 3.2 – 3.59)
* Club Honors (GPA requirement – 3.6+)

The following is a list of benefits for confirmed GPAs:

* Recognized with AEx ribbons at the Fall Regional Conference
* Discounted registration rates at Fall Regional Conference and National Convention (GPA 3.0+)
* Name included in Program Book at Fall Regional Conference and National Convention Magazine
* A reception at National Convention
* Recognized with certificates and pins at 1 or 2 of the general sessions at National Convention
* Reserved Seats at Golden Torch Awards
* VIP access to Career Fair at National Convention (GPA 3.0+)

Designed for chapters to engage membership and make them aware of the importance of Academic Excellence as it relates to their lives as students and their lives in the professional world of work.

Tentative Workshops and programs:

* Financial Aid
* I wish someone had told me
* Technical Excellence
* Cultural Relevance
* Recognition