Within the histories of two long-established organizations—the Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) honor society, based in 1904, and IEEE, shaped in 1963—15 years won’t appear very lengthy. Since their merger in 2010, nevertheless, greater than 40,000 members have been inducted into IEEE-HKN, 57 chapters have been shaped (30 of that are outdoors the United States), and greater than US $4 million has been raised to assist the event of the subsequent era of engineering leaders.
On 14 February 2009, Eta Kappa Nu signed a merger settlement with IEEE. It went into impact 1 September 2010, making HKN the official honor society of IEEE.
IEEE-HKN acknowledges scholarship and educational excellence, figuring out scholar leaders, younger professionals, and eminent students in IEEE’s technical fields of curiosity.
The settlement was signed by Bruce Eisenstein, president of HKN; Richard Gowen, president of the IEEE Basis; and John R. Vig, 2010 IEEE president and CEO. The signing befell throughout the IEEE assembly sequence in Puerto Rico at a ceremony attended by greater than 200 members of IEEE and Eta Kappa Nu.
In honor of the milestone anniversary, IEEE-HKN is internet hosting celebrations at a number of IEEE gatherings world wide.
IEEE-HKN can be enthusiastic about its second annual worldwide Hackathon, to be held from 14 to 23 November, wherein groups of IEEE and honor society scholar members work collectively utilizing engineering ideas to unravel an issue at the moment dealing with the society’s chapters. Examine its first hackathon held final 12 months.
“HKN has at all times been student-focused, so one of many issues that it gained from IEEE was entry to its wide selection {of professional} actions, like conferences, journals, and paths for skilled involvement—which permits IEEE-HKN to assist our members at each step of their careers.” —2024 IEEE-HKN President Ryan Bales
A number of movies have been produced that characteristic individuals concerned in and impacted by the 2010 merger. They embrace reflections from three HKN presidents: Steve Watkins (2018), Ryan Bales (2024), and Sean Bentley (2025).
“HKN has at all times been student-focused, so one of many issues that it gained from IEEE was entry to its wide selection {of professional} actions, like conferences, journals, and paths for skilled involvement—which permits IEEE-HKN to assist our members at each step of their careers,” Bales says. “With its signature emphasis on scholarship, character, and perspective, HKN introduced its conventional ethos of service to IEEE. IEEE-HKN college students present over 100,000 hours of service per 12 months to their fellow college students, native preuniversity college students by way of STEM outreach, and group service actions.”
Bentley says that dedication “aligns with IEEE’s spirit of volunteerism, with its members giving their time to their career.”
He says he sees HKN’s service mentality as an essential ingredient in its potential to foster engagement and create group—which in flip leads to the next share of IEEE-HKN college students who stay IEEE members past their scholar years.
A devoted internet web page lists all of the deliberate celebratory actions.
Collaborations gas IEEE-HKN’s progress
Along with aligning IEEE and HKN’s values, the merger gives ongoing alternatives for collaboration.
It’s evident within the rising partnerships between the 2 organizations’ scholar branches, which final 12 months devoted greater than 18,000 hours to collectively plan and execute 279 occasions, a 36 p.c enhance over 2023.
There are additionally rising partnerships with IEEE societies. Greater than 20 of the societies financially backed final 12 months’s Scholar Management Convention, making it extra inexpensive for college kids to attend whereas giving society members the chance to share real-world technical and profession information with the subsequent era of engineering leaders.
“Within the spirit of One IEEE, an essential characteristic of all IEEE-HKN conferences is that sponsoring societies have representatives available to encourage college students to search out their technical residence,” says Nancy Ostin, director of IEEE-HKN.
This 12 months’s Scholar Management Convention is scheduled for 7 to 9 November on the College of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The society additionally holds two digital conferences annually, Pathways to Trade and TechX, that are open to all IEEE members at a reduced fee.
This 12 months the merger has been celebrated at a number of IEEE gatherings together with SouthEastCon, IEEE Area 1 and Area 2 joint conferences, the IEEE Life Members Evolution Convention, and IEEE CompSac.
IEEE-HKN additionally plans to mark the milestone within the October challenge of its Bridge journal, in addition to working with the IEEE Basis on an anniversary marketing campaign to lift cash for the distinction society.
When reflecting on the accomplishments of the previous 15 years, Ostin says, “As IEEE’s honor society, HKN’s core values of scholarship, character, and perspective align with IEEE’s strategic targets by inspiring mental curiosity and information sharing, fostering lifelong engagement, and empowering know-how leaders. Being an HKN member is a lifelong designation, and we’re proud that our members are leaders in business, academia, and authorities, at all times searching for methods to provide again to our present and future college students.”
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