Featured Organization: Minority Association of Engineers and Scientists (MAES)

Suffolk University’s student organizations seem to appear from no where and multiply rapidly! The latest addition to SU’s student organization is the Minority Association of Engineers and Scientists (MAES). 

In 1974, MAES-National was founded in Los Angeles with the purpose of increasing the number of Hispanics in the technical and scientific fields. Robert Von Hatten, an aerospace electronics engineer, wanted to establish a professional society that would serve as a resource of role models for students that would address the needs of its members.

Over the years, MAES has grown and evolved. It’s mission now is to promote, cultivate and honor excellence in education and leadership among underrepresented engineers and scientists.  In August, Elsy Naveo, Javier Madrigal, Gabriela Isenia, and Kevin Ramos brought a chapter of this organization to Suffolk.

As a Suffolk student organization, their mission “to foster innovation and serve as an informative resource for future career endeavors within the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields,” said organization President Naveo. “One of the primary focuses of the organization is to inform our members of the graduate school admission processes.”

The executive board members consist of President, Elsy Naveo, Vice President Javier Madrigal, Secretary Gabriela Isenia, and Treasurer Kevin Ramos.  All of these students major within the science department, and come from minority backgrounds.

Naveo wants to make sure students know what they want to achieve as an organization: "The goals for this school year are to establish the chapter and make our presence obvious at the institution," she said. "We want to focus on recruiting members and on serving them by promoting professionalism, leadership skills and the pursuit of graduate studies in the STEM fields."

There are no requirements for joining the organization that currently has 15 active members. They all have the common interest: helping the organization carry out its mission.

If anyone is interested in joining, feel free to e-mail SU MAES President, Naveo, at epnaveo@suffolk.edu