ECH Annual Banquet

May 19th, Sugarland Marriott

Keynote Speaker:George Blanks

Executive Director,BEST Robotics

BEST (“Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology”) is a non-profit, volunteer-based program whose mission is to engage, excite, and inspire students to pursue careers in these fields through participation in a project-based, hands-on robotics competition. BEST operates 35 hubs (local competition sites) in 13 states with over 750 schools and 11,500 students participating. As Executive Director, Dr. Blanks’primary duties include establishing educational partnerships with corporations and professional engineering societies; recruiting national sponsors to help fund its hubs; raising awareness of BEST as a K-12 workforce development program; and recruiting engineering schools and two-year technical colleges to host BEST competitions on their campuses. George earned an undergraduate degree in Communications from Samford University, a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Auburn University.

Come out to meet Dr. Blanks who has inspired many engineers and scientists to reach-out to local high-school and middle-school students to boost their passion for a career in engineering, science and technology. The grand-prize winners from the 2011 Science and Engineering Fair of Houston will also be honored at the ECH Banquet. Meet engineers and scientists from ECH member organizations who enjoy inspiring young, brilliant students from our local community to pursue engineering and science careers.

Location: 16090 City Walk (near intersection of Hwy 59 and Hwy 6), Sugarland, TX 77479

Time: 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Cost: $50/person – includes full course dinner and proceeds go to funding ECH’s mission to encourage the pursuit of a career in engineering, science and technology for students in the greater Houston area.

For information on attending, contact: Jessica Lucas, HJL@BinkleyBarfield.com (713-869-3433)

For information on sponsoring the ECH Banquet, contact Todd J. Willman, tjw@epcon.com

(Bronze: $250, Silver: $500, Gold: $1000 - proceeds further K-12 activities of ECH and SEFH)