Waterloo Engineering proudly hosted the inaugural conference this week for a fellowship program that was created to boost representation of Black and Indigenous scholars in engineering and technology disciplines.
Launched in January 2021, the Indigenous and Black Engineering and Technology (IBET) PhD Project aims to address the urgent need to increase the number of Indigenous and Black academics in engineering and related fields.
The IBET PhD Project includes the Momentum fellowship program, which provides recipients with $30,000 a year for four years while they pursue their doctoral degrees and specialized research in engineering, design and technology.
There are currently 30 IBET Momentum Fellowship recipients. Of that number, three are Indigenous, 27 are Black, seven are female and 23 are male.
Dr. Tizazu Mekonnen is the director of IBET and a Waterloo chemical engineering professor.
“This journey is off to a great start, but we still have a busy path ahead,” said Dr. Tizazu Mekonnen, the IBET PhD Project director and a Waterloo chemical engineering professor. “Our focus going forward is on increasing Indigenous recruitment, expanding our partner universities and building relationships with the private sector and government agencies.”
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