2006 National Technical and Career Conference Expected to Draw More Than 3,000 Hispanic Students, Professionals.

DALLAS -- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Offers Competitions, Networking and Educational Opportunities for Attendees at Nation's Largest Hispanic Technical Conference

Addressing the growing need for Hispanic engineers, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) announced today the lineup of educational, technical, networking and career programs at the 28th Annual National Technical and Career Conference (NTCC). Approximately 3,800 Hispanic students, professionals, corporate representatives and community leaders are expected to attend NTCC, the largest Hispanic technical conference in the nation, at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., from January 4-8, 2006.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Hispanics represented 12.9 percent of the total labor force in 2004, but only 4.3 percent of those were engineers. At the same time, the total number of U.S. engineering jobs has increased significantly since 1994, and Hispanics are now the largest underrepresented ethnic group in the United States.

"The growing Hispanic population in the U.S. continues to remain an untapped resource for the demand of more engineers," said Diana Gomez, President, SHPE, Inc. National Board of Directors. "SHPE is committed to bridging that gap, and NTCC enables us to bring together the Hispanic community's best and brightest in engineering, math and science with the most technologically-advanced, leading edge organizations in the world. State-of-the-art tools, workshops and networking events ensure our attendees' success after leaving the conference, whether they are students or professionals."

In 2001, Hispanics earned 7.3 percent of the baccalaureate engineering degrees awarded to U.S. citizens and legal residents. To increase that percentage, SHPE is hosting more than 800 middle and high school students from across the United States and Puerto Rico for NTCC activities at the University of Central Florida.

Opportunities for pre-college students include:

--Presentation by NASA astronaut Dr. Daniel Olivas

--Representatives from 30 colleges, universities and service academies on hand to discuss application and acceptance processes, as well as financial aid opportunities

--Feedback on improving college essays for a more competitive application

--Program on engineering and science careers

In addition, SHPE invited undergraduate and graduate students to participate in several NTCC competitions, all with monetary awards for the top three winners. Competitions include:

--SHPE/NASA Academic Olympiad -- A team of undergraduates from each of SHPE's seven regions test their engineering and technical knowledge.

--Design Competition -- Allows undergraduate SHPE students to design, engineer and market a cost-effective product for the consumer.

--Technical paper and poster competitions -- Both graduate and undergraduate students were invited to submit abstracts related to the fields of engineering and science.

--Website contest -- SHPE student teams design an interactive website that will serve as blogs or online journals for SHPE student chapters.

NTCC's Career Fair introduces companies to prospective employees among the top Hispanic talent in engineering, math, science and technology. Internship and co-op positions are also available for students. Organizations represented include Procter and Gamble, IBM, NASA, 3M, Ford Motor Company, Delta Airlines, Inc., and the U.S Department of Energy.

SHPE, Inc. is the source for quality Hispanic engineers and technical talent, committed to enhancing America's position in math, science, engineering and technology with a strong and talented Hispanic workforce. SHPE provides its membership of students and professionals with increased educational opportunities, professional and personal growth, and involvement in education, business and government issues.

(1)Registration for the pre-college program is still available. For more information, please contact Cristina Dos Santos at 407-435-5143, [e-mail] or Rafaela Schwan, 817-914-5670, [e-mail], or visit our website at www.shpe.org.